Verizon is experiencing a major service outage in the Tampa Bay area and surrounding areas.
A map found on downdetector.com shows the outage is concentrated Florida's Gulf Coast.
The company issued the following statement shortly before 9 p.m. EST:
"We are aware of a network issue in the Tampa Bay area. Our network engineers are working to identify the issue and resolve it as quickly as possible."
The company's Twitter account for Customer Service -- @VZWSupport -- is answering tweets in regards to loss of service.
City, county agencies respond
Pasco County authorities issued a media advisory saying they were aware of the outage, and reassured residents that the county's 911 center was unaffected. However, they did specify that calls originate from Verizon users were not getting through, and advised residents in need of assistance to seek a landline to call 911 or try 727-847-8102.
**Verizon voice services remain down in a majority of the Tampa Bay Area.**
If you are attempting to dial 911 from ANY Verizon voice device you must call from an alternate network provider to place a 911 call. 911 lines within our center remain FULLY FUNCTIONAL to receive calls.
— Pasco Fire Rescue (@PascoFireRescue) April 13, 2018
In Pinellas County, St. Petersburg Police also reported calls from Verizon users were not getting through, and that their non-emergency number was out of service. If you're in St. Petersburg, require assistance and are having difficulty getting through, please call 727-893-7762.
Polk County also sent out an acknowledgment of the issue across their social media channels, along with instructions for residents to reach them if they're Verizon users.
Polk County Fire Rescue has been made aware of a Verizon phone outage throughout Tampa Bay. Our 911 call center is fully operational. We would like to remind residents trying to dial 911 from a Verizon line to seek a... https://t.co/ftHgHtJQqF
— Polk Fire Rescue (@PolkFire) April 13, 2018
This is a developing story. We will update as we learn more.