Governor DeSantis declares state of emergency for 41 Florida counties due to hurricane threat

Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in more than 40 counties as potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, which is expected to strengthen and become a hurricane, heads toward the Florida peninsula this week.

In a memo Monday, Governor DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 41 of Florida’s 67 counties: Alachua, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton and Washington.

Six of these counties are located in Central Florida: Alachua, Dixie, Gilchrist, Levy, Marion and Sumter.

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Governor DeSantis said the effects of Hurricane Debby, which made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on August 5, 2024 as a Category 1 hurricane, are still affecting people in that region. The impacts of the potential system could also cause flooding and damage to major highways, roads, bridges, airports, hospitals, schools and the power grid across the state.

The emergency declaration can direct funding, partnerships and resources to areas of the state that could be affected by a potential scheme.

Read Governor DeSantis’ Executive Order on Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine

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