Ron DeSantis Declares Emergency for 25 Florida Counties

Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 26-20 on Wednesday, declaring a state of emergency for 25 counties across northern and northwestern Florida, including the Panhandle. The declaration comes as the National Hurricane Center forecasts that Tropical Storm Isaias will intensify into a hurricane by Thursday and potentially impact the northern Gulf Coast by Friday.

To prepare for the storm, the Florida State Emergency Response Team is staging generators and flood barriers in Tallahassee and the Santa Rosa area. DeSantis stated that the order allows the Florida Division of Emergency Management to stage critical resources and ensure the state is ready to respond, urging residents to stock hurricane supply kits and finalize disaster plans.

Simultaneously, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier activated the state's price gouging reporting hotline and online form. Under state law, unreasonable price increases for essential goods like food, water, and gasoline during the emergency can result in civil fines of up to $1,000 per violation. Uthmeier encouraged citizens to report any suspected excessive price hikes to his office. Meanwhile, the Institute of Meteorology of Cuba confirmed the storm poses no danger to Cuba.