Rick Scott and Jim Cantore encourage hurricane preparedness in Weather Channel video

Florida residents tuning into the Weather Channel this week for information on Hurricane Idalia may have seen a familiar face on a hurricane preparedness public-service announcement.

No, not Gov. Ron DeSantis, though the network aired his briefings. And, no, not Weather Channel storm superstar Jim Cantore, though he showed up on Cedar Key — signaling the coastal town was in the bull's-eye of Cat 4 Idalia.

The figure in the PSA was U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, wearing his familiar U.S. Navy cap, who joined Cantore to encourage watchers to store supplies, follow evacuation orders and generally stay safe when in the path of a storm.

“I’m always working to make sure Florida has the resources we need to handle any weather emergency,” Scott said in the video.

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The PSA was produced in May. A spokesman for Scott said Cantore, who met the senator when Scott was governor, reached out to Scott about filming the spot together and that it was recorded in Washington.

This video repeatedly aired on the Weather Channel as the network ramped up its coverage of Idalia. The purpose of the video is to encourage Florida families to prepare for storms by creating an emergency plan, practicing that plan and staying alert for weather threats.

Stephany Matat is a politics reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY-Florida network. Reach her at smatat@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Rick Scott joins Jim Cantore in Weather Channel hurricane video