DeSantis issues emergency order for 25 Florida counties as Tropical Depression Nine forms

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 25 counties in preparation for Tropical Depression Nine.

On Tuesday, Tropical Depression Nine officially formed in the Gulf of America. Many models project the system to strength into a potential hurricane as it treks towards the Florida panhandle.

As such, DeSantis declared a state of emergency for these 25 counties ahead of the storm: 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.

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“This order ensures communities have the time and resources necessary to prepare for potential severe weather impacts to the Panhandle and Big Bend region of Florida,” DeSantis said on X.