DeSantis declares emergency in 41 counties as storm looms
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday declared a state of emergency in 41 of the state's 67 counties and Attorney General Ashley Moody activated the state's Price Gouging Hotline in those areas because of a storm that could hit the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Helene.
Monroe County is included in the decisions by the governor and attorney general, as well as Charlotte, Collier and Lee counties in Southwest Florida. Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties are not on the list.
A Tropical Storm Watch was issued at 5 p.m. Monday for Dry Tortugas and the Low Keys south of the Seven Mile Bridge. On Monday, Monroe County celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the new Monroe County Emergency Operations Center at the west end of the Marathon airport.
Potential Tropical Storm Nine will develop into Helene later this week with landfall forecast along the Florida Panhandle, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm is in the Caribbean a few hundred miles from Grand Cayman and the western tip of Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph.
Other affected counties are Alachua, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton and Washington counties.
The governor's order included activating the Florida National Guard as needed and emergency response teams.
Moody's price gouging order affects the declared counties.
"To help Floridians prepare for this event, we are activating the price gouging hotline to accept reports of extreme price increases on essential commodities," she said. "As the system approaches, I'm urging Floridians to finalize their storm prep, monitor weather reports and follow the guidance of local authorities. Stay Safe, Florida."
During a storm-related declared state of emergency, state law prohibits excessive increases in the price of essential commodities, including equipment, food, gasoline, hotel rooms, ice, lumber and water.
Anyone who suspects price gouging can report it to the Florida Attorney General's Office by visiting MyFloridaLegal.com or calling (866) 9NO-SCAM.
Violators are subject to civil penalties of $1,000 per violation and up to a total of $25,000 for multiple violations committed in a single 24-hour period.
There have been seven named storms in Florida this year.
