General advice

Weather warning. A hard freeze is expected for florida over the Christmas holiday. To help protect plants and shrubs wrap them with sheets to try and insulate them. Small date palms (robellini) are very susceptible to cold so you may see some withering and in some cases the damage may be irreparable. Shrubs with softer stems – those holding more water – are prone to freezing so prioritize these. 

Do not run sprinklers overnight when the temperature is lower than 40 degrees. Whilst not a freezing temperature if you add in wind chill it could still freeze water on the ground and cause damage to lawns and plants at this temperature. 

Wrap backflow pipes. A pool noodle is a good make-shift insulator. Back flow systems are usually found at the side of the house or near the water meter.  A pipe will come up out of the ground at least 12 inches and into a brass valve and then back into the ground. The brass valves are notorious for freezing up so wrap them well. 

Run pool pumps continuously to stop pool pipes and equipment from freezing and components from cracking.

Internal pipes – whilst you can’t get to these to wrap them you can leave a faucet or two dripping. Moving water is harder to freeze so this can help protect pipes. Finally – know where your water shut off valve is located and have the required tools ready in case you need to shut water off due to a burst pipe. An adjustable wrench can be used to shut off mains water at the meter. A quarter turn is all that is needed usually to close the valve.