MEMORANDUM

TO:                 Members of the Press

FROM:           Jason Mahon, Director of Communications, Governor Ron DeSantis

DATE:            Tuesday, August 29, 2023

RE:                 Executive Order 23-175 (Amending Executive Order 23-171,

Emergency Management – Hurricane Idalia)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 23-175 (Amending Executive Order 23-171, Emergency Management – Tropical Storm Idalia), expanding the number of counties under a state of emergency in preparation for Tropical Storm Idalia from 46 counties to 49 counties. Counties now included in the executive order are:

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 counties.

To read the full executive order, click here or read below:

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 23-175

(Amending Executive Order 23-171, Emergency Management – Hurricane Idalia)

WHEREAS, on August 26, 2023, I issued Executive Order 23-171, declaring a state of emergency for several counties in Florida due to the dangers presented by Invest 93L, a broad area of low pressure off the west coast of Central America; and

WHEREAS, on August 28, 2023, I issued Executive Order 23-172, amending Executive Order 23-171 by adding coastal and inland counties in Central and North Florida to the state of emergency; and

WHEREAS, as of 5:00 AM EDT on August 29, 2023, Tropical Storm Idalia strengthened into a hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, and is moving northward over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico; and

WHEREAS, as of 5:00 AM EDT on August 29, 2023, Hurricane Idalia was approximately 175 miles southwest of the Dry Tortugas, Florida; and

WHEREAS, Hurricane Idalia is forecasted to become a major hurricane before making landfall along areas of the Florida Gulf Coast and the Florida Big Bend on August 30, 2023, and is expected to remain a hurricane as it moves across North Florida and into Georgia; and

WHEREAS, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, working together with the National Hurricane Center to evaluate weather predictions, has determined that there is a continuing risk of dangerous storm surge, heavy rainfall, flash flooding, strong winds, hazardous seas, and isolated tomadic activity for the Florida Peninsula and portions of the Florida Big Bend; and

WHEREAS,  the threat posed by Hurricane Idalia requires that timely precautions must be taken to protect the communities, critical infrastructure, and general welfare of the people of Florida; and

WHEREAS, as the Governor of Florida, I am responsible to meet the dangers presented to the State of Florida and its people by this emergency.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RON DESANTIS, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section l(a) of the Florida Constitution and by the Florida Emergency Management Act, as amended, and all other applicable laws, promulgate the following Executive Order, to take immediate effect:

Section 1. Section 1 of Executive Order 23-171 is amended to read as follows:

Because of the foregoing conditions, which are projected to constitute a major disaster, I declare that a state of emergency exists in Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hemando, 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 Counties.

Section 2. Except as amended herein, Executive Order 23-171 is ratified and reaffirmed.

Sections. This Executive Order is effective immediately and shall expire upon the

expiration of Executive Order 23-171

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