Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for the state of Florida Saturday ahead of Tropical Storm Isaac.
“That’s standard protocol to make sure we can coordinate our efforts with federal, state and local so we can have the proper response,” he said.
As Isaac swept across Haiti, killing at least three people, forecasters continued issuing new watches and warnings for parts of Florida. As of 8 p.m., Isaac was located about 80 miles east of Camaguey, Cuba and 375 miles east-southeast of Key West. The center of Isaac was nearing the north coast of Eastern Cuba. Isaac had maximum sustained winds at 60 mph and was moving northwest at 20 mph.
A hurricane warning was issued for the Florida Keys including the Dry Tortugas and the west coast of Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center. A hurricane watch was also extended for the Florida East Coast from Golden Beach Southward to Ocean Reef, Haiti and Andros Island, the NHC said.
A hurricane watch was issued for Miami Beach and part of Miami-Dade County but no evacuations have been issued.