TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — "Execute your plans now," Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday morning as he provided an update on the state's plans ahead of Hurricane Idalia.
Florida leaders are urging people, especially those in the Tampa Bay area and along the Gulf Coast, to be ready to enact their hurricane plans by the end of the day Monday. Idalia is forecast to become a major hurricane before making landfall in the coming days.
Because of the threat of dangerous storm surge, flooding and strong winds, DeSantis urges everyone to heed local emergency orders ahead of the storm.
DeSantis said to expect coastal counties to likely trigger evacuation orders for A and B zones. You can find the latest evacuation orders for the Tampa Bay area here.
10 Tampa Bay is keeping you ahead of the storm: Download our free mobile app for real-time storm information and breaking alerts, and download 10 Tampa Bay+ for your favorite streaming device for live updates.
As a reminder, leaders say if you're in an evacuation zone you only need to travel tens of miles out of the storm's path, not hundreds of miles.
Now is the time to fortify your homes and businesses, pick up or tie down items that are outside and other preparations to protect against the storm. DeSantis urges residents to follow generator safety and to not run generators inside homes.
About 5,500 Florida National Guard personnel are expected to be deployed to assist with storm recovery efforts. Additionally, about 40,000 linemen will be staged just outside the impacted areas of the state so they can be deployed after the storm to ensure power is restored in a timely manner.
On Monday, President Joe Biden announced his administration approved Florida's emergency declaration. This means the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be able to offer federal disaster assistance to affected areas.
DeSantis also said Florida's state of emergency order has been expanded to 46 counties, as opposed to the original 33.
- Alachua
- Baker
- Bay
- Bradford
- Calhoun
- Charlotte
- Citrus
- Clay
- Collier
- Columbia
- DeSoto
- Dixie
- Duval
- Flagler
- Franklin
- Gadsden
- Gilchrist
- Gulf
- Hamilton
- Hardee
- Hernando
- Hillsborough
- Lake
- Jefferson
- Lafayette
- Lee
- Leon
- Levy
- Liberty
- Madison
- Manatee
- Marion
- Pasco
- Pinellas
- Polk
- Putnam
- Nassau
- Sarasota
- Seminole
- St. Johns
- Sumter
- Suwannee
- Taylor
- Union
- Volusia
- Wakulla
You can watch the governor's full 9 a.m. update below or by clicking here: