Governor DeSantis Declares State of Emergency for Winter Storm

In the wake of an abrupt and devastating winter storm, Governor DeSantis (R-FL) declared a state of emergency in 49 Florida counties after the weather barreled through the middle of the state.

What is being called, "The Winter Storm" put many parts of the country on high alert.  Tornado warnings were in effect on Tuesday for Central Florida and the Panhandle, with damage also seen in Georgia and the Carolinas as the storm cuts up the East Coast.

It has officially been reported that three people have been killed by the storm, with imagery circulating the internet quickly of a Panama City Beach home whose roofs had been torn off as well as blocked roads and entire buildings brought down to their foundations.

The state of emergency applied to Central Florida counties like Alachua and Marion County, but specifically applied to places in North Florida, like Leon County, who reported to have 15,000 residents without power.

The State of the State Address was in fact delayed because of the storm, as the governor was 30 minutes late due to signing the executive order to declare a state of emergency.  "We just do what we do in Florida — we respond when these things happen,” DeSantis said during Tuesday’s speech during a joint-session held by the House and Senate. “The state of Florida stands with you and we will deal with the fallout from these tornadoes."

This is not DeSantis' first rodeo with natural disasters, as the executive delt with Hurricane Idalia late last year.  In DeSantis' response, the state of Florida saw 96% power restoration in Florida within five days after landfall.  The year before that in 2022, DeSantis personally delt with recovery efforts after Hurricane Ian when the governor hand delivered first responder payments.