Idalia: Northeast Florida counties now included in state of emergency declaration

Northeast Florida counties are now included in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ state of emergency declaration ahead of Idalia.

DeSantis on Monday morning updated his original executive order from Saturday, expanding the number of counties included from 33 to 46.

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On Tuesday, three more counties were added, expanding the order to 49 of Florida’s 67 counties.

Here are the counties now under a state of emergency declaration:

Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Nassau, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, and Wakulla.

The order reads that the “threat posed by Tropical Storm Idalia requires that timely precautions must be taken to protect the communities, critical infrastructure, and general welfare of the people of Florida.”

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The order also states that, “Tropical Storm Idalia is forecasted to become a major hurricane before making landfall along areas of the Florida Gulf Coast and portions of the Florida Panhandle.”

To read the Executive Order, click here.

To find resources to help you and your family prepare for this storm, you can visit floridadisaster.org/planprepare.

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