DeSantis declares state of emergency in 35 counties ahead of expected Hurricane Milton

Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 35 Florida counties Saturday afternoon as the threat of another hurricane looms over Tampa Bay.

Milton — currently a tropical storm — is set to make landfall as at least a Category 3 Hurricane on Wednesday as it moves northeastward over warm Gulf waters. The storm's forecast cone shows a wide range of landfall possibilities along Florida's west coast, ranging from the Big Bend in the north to the Everglades in the south.

The forecast comes as communities are still reeling from Hurricane Helene, which struck Florida's Big Bend in late September and brought record-breaking surge to Tampa Bay. Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties were included in the governor's order.

"The consequences of these impacts could damage the operational capability of critical infrastructure including major interstates and roadways, bridges, airports, schools, hospitals, power grids, in addition to prolonging recovery efforts from Major Hurricane Helene," the executive order read.

Among other things, the order activated the Florida National Guard and directed resources to expedite debris removal from Hurricane Helene.

It also noted that parts of Florida have recorded above-average rainfall over the past 30 days, increasing the chances of flash flooding due to already-saturated ground.

The order applied to Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter and Volusia counties.