As Hurricane Milton approaches, South Florida cities, government agencies, businesses, entertainment venues and other groups are deciding how to proceed in the next few days — whether to stay open

Milton rapidly strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday and was forecast to become a Category 5 storm on a path toward Florida, threatening a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay and setting the stage for potential mass evacuations less than two weeks after a catastrophic Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline.

In September, Hurricane Helene shut down Tampa’s airport and delayed dozens of flights in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The airport in Tampa also is closing Tuesday morning for Milton. Milton could have a similar effect across the state this week.