Gov. DeSantis declares state of emergency for 24 Florida counties ahead of storm

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 24 counties ahead of Tropical Depression 9 on Friday.

According to a release from the Governor’s office, DeSantis has also requested a federal emergency declaration be declared ahead of landfall to free up resources as local governments prepare for the storm.

Tropical Depression 9, which formed Friday morning, is forecasted to impact Florida early next week. The storm has the potential to strengthen into a major hurricane ahead of landfall.

“Today, I signed an Executive Order issuing a state of emergency due to the threat of Tropical Depression 9,” Governor DeSantis said. “This storm has the potential to strengthen into a major hurricane and we encourage all Floridians to make their preparations. We are coordinating with all state and local government partners to track potential impacts of this storm.”

Because the storm is still several days out and the forecast track is uncertain, Gov. DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for a wide area of the state. The following counties are included in the state of emergency under Executive Order 22-218:

• Brevard
• Broward
• Charlotte
• Collier
• DeSoto
• Glades
• Hardee
• Hendry
• Highlands
• Hillsborough
• Indian River
• Lee
• Manatee
• Martin
• Miami-Dade
• Monroe
• Okeechobee
• Osceola
• Palm Beach
• Pasco
• Pinellas
• Polk
• Sarasota
• St. Lucie

To find resources to help prepare for the storm, you can visit the Florida Division of Emergency Management website.