DeSantis issues State of Emergency for Florida Panhandle as Isaias forms

Tropical Storm Isaias Credit: NHC Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 25 counties in the Panhandle on Tuesday evening, in preparation Tropical Storm Isaias off the coast of Mexico that could hit the U.S. later in the week. The system was known as Tropical Depression Nine at the time DeSantis issued the declaration, but it developed into a tropical storm overnight. By Tuesday morning Isaias sat off the eastern coast of Mexico with sustained winds near 40 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The counties included in the emergency declaration are: Baker, Bay, Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Walton, Wakulla and Washington. “This order will allow the Florida Division of Emergency Management to stage critical preparedness resources and ensure Florida is ready to respond,” DeSantis said in a released st