Tampa’s NBC affiliate reports:
Gov. Ron DeSantis and other officials gave an update on Tropical Storm Idalia on Sunday at the state’s emergency operations center. As of this report, the storm is 80 miles off the coast of Cozumel with 35 mph winds. It will become a hurricane by late Tuesday afternoon. The storm could arrive as strong as a Category 2, Governor DeSantis said.
Those who are power-dependent are encouraged to go to a shelter, as the likelihood of losing power is very high. Starting Monday, linemen will be stationed to help around communities, especially in the Tallahassee area. “If you’re in Tampa Bay, you could absolutely get impact,” DeSantis said. “Anyone on this Gulf, you should absolutely be very vigilant right now.”
Florida Politics reports:
DeSantis was at the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee early Sunday afternoon with Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of the state Division of Emergency Management, to announce the center would be going to Level 1, 24-hour operations starting at 7 a.m.
“So please just heed the warnings of your local officials, continue to watch the news,” DeSantis said, urging everyone who is power-dependent because of medical needs to make plans to evacuate to a shelter now.
DeSantis, who has been criticized for leaving the state to campaign for President, said he’s going to be in the Sunshine State for the duration. “We’re locked in on this and we’re going to get the job done,” DeSantis said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the forecast models are more aligned than they were for Hurricane Ian last year, but said that even if people are outside of the forecast “cone,” they could see impacts from Idalia and should be prepared. https://t.co/qz9qWrx2EK
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) August 27, 2023
Governor Ron DeSantis Delivers Update on Tropical Storm Idalia https://t.co/i6QRY3RLh3
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 27, 2023
Preparations for Idalia landfall as a hurricane along the Gulf Coast are at full throttle @GovRonDeSantis says
Reporting by @AnneBocahttps://t.co/Wzo3z5vOpr#FlaPol
— Florida Politics (@Fla_Pol) August 27, 2023
‼️JUST IN: Governor Ron DeSantis again condemns the “horrific racially-motivated murders perpetrated by a deranged scumbag” at Dollar General in Jacksonville yesterday.
“Targeting people due to their race has no place in the state of Florida.” pic.twitter.com/YWybNkP0Tb
— Chris Nelson 🇺🇸 🏝 (@ReOpenChris) August 27, 2023
Governor DeSantis just did a press conference w/focus on soon-to-be Hurricane Idalia and left before reporters even had a chance to ask him questions about the racist anti-Black shooting in Jacksonville.
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) August 27, 2023
