“I think as we get into the late Tuesday, early Wednesday, it’s going to start to get really nasty, and, of course, they’re anticipating a landfall sometime Wednesday morning, Wednesday afternoon," DeSantis said at a Monday press conference.
"So you have time to make the preparations, you have time to do what you need to do to protect yourself and your family,” the governor added.
President Biden was in communication with DeSantis, a vocal Biden critic and 2024 Republican presidential hopeful, early this week, according to the White House.
“President Biden said Florida will have his full support as they prepare for Idalia and its aftermath," the White House said in a statement.
"President Biden also expressed his commitment to ongoing support for the people of Jacksonville following the horrific shooting on Saturday,” the White House added, referencing a racist mass shooting that targeted Black shoppers in a grocery store over the weekend.
Compounding concerns, the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services warned Sunday that, as the storm approaches, fuel at nearly 30 Tampa-area gas stations has a "strong likelihood of being contaminated."
