Ron DeSantis to Remain in Florida to Assist with Hurricane Preparations

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) will not travel out of the state on Monday to campaign but will, instead, remain in Florida to assist in preparing for “major Hurricane Idalia,” which is expected to make landfall on the western side of the state this week.

“In light of the approaching hurricane, the Governor will be staying in Florida on Monday to assist with preparations,” DeSantis campaign press secretary Bryan Griffin said in a Sunday update.

However, first lady Casey DeSantis will still campaign for her husband outside of the state, attending Rep. Jeff Duncan’s (R-SC) Faith and Freedom BBQ in South Carolina in lieu of her husband, which DeSantis was expected to attend:

On Saturday, DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 33 counties in preparation for the storm.

“Issuing this order today ensures communities have time to prepare for the storm system which could have impacts along the Gulf Coast next week. Floridians should have a plan and a stocked supply kit and follow @FLSERT for updates,” he wrote:

Counties in the state of emergency include Alachua, Bay, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, and Wakulla.

“It’ll become a hurricane by late Tuesday afternoon. Landfall is currently expected along the Big Bend region on Wednesday, and it could arrive at the state of Florida as strong as a category two hurricane,” DeSantis said in an update on Sunday.

“The storms, of course, as we know, these things can wobble. So Floridians along our Gulf Coast should be vigilant even if you’re currently outside the cone, and, indeed, you could see impacts if you are in a place that’s outside the cone,” he continued, urging residents to listen to local officials because the storm track could shift.

“If you are in the path of the storm, you should expect power outages, so please prepare for that, particularly if you have one. If this storm ends up coming in the Tallahassee region, there’s a lot of trees that are going to get knocked down. The power lines are going to get knocked down. That is just going to happen. So just be prepared for that and be able to do what you need to do,” he added:

The National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) latest forecast, released early Monday morning, predicted that Idalia will develop into a “major hurricane” before reaching Florida’s Gulf coast.

Per the NHC:

Idalia is now forecast to become a major hurricane before it reaches the Gulf coast of Florida. The risk continues to increase for life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds all portions of the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle beginning as early as late Tuesday. Storm surge and hurricane watches are in effect for portions of the west coast of Florida and the coast of the Florida Panhandle, and residents in these areas should monitor updates to the forecast and follow any advice given by local officials.

Current projections show landfall west of Tampa Bay.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management has released a list of hurricane watches and storm surge watches in effect for several Florida counties, and the State Emergency Operations Center has been activated to a Level 1 in response to the rapidly developing tropical storm: