Gov. DeSantis as Debby leaves Florida: 'We are going to see flooding'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said damage assessment teams will be in the field Tuesday now that the once-Hurricane Debby, downgraded to a tropical storm by late Monday afternoon, has largely left the state. 

Debby made landfall around 7 a.m. on the Big Bend with 80 mph winds earlier in the day near Steinhatchee, a village with fewer than 1,000 residents. Little significant damage was initially reported, but Debby – a slow moving storm – was deluging a wide swath of the state from the Nature Coast to the Suwannee River Valley with record rain.

DeSantis, at the state's Emergency Operations Center on Monday afternoon, said flooding will remain a threat for the next seven days: The storm “did not bring the catastrophic hurricane force winds that we've seen in previous storms like Hurricane Ian and Michael, but it has and continues to produce lots of water.”

By 5 p.m., Debby’s eye wall was crossing the state line into Georgia.

“We are going to see flooding, particularly in the northern part of the state, (so) be very careful. Don't go out into flood waters. There can be hazards, debris and downed electrical cables. Please do not go driving if roads are underwater,” DeSantis said. 

Death toll by Monday stood at four

DeSantis also said at least four people had died from fallen trees and car crashes:

• A 13-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on a mobile home in Levy County, according to the Levy County Sheriff’s Office.  
• A driver of a semi was killed when the truck went into a canal off Interstate 275, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. 
• A woman and a 12-year-old boy died in a single-vehicle crash in Dixie County on Sunday night, and a 14-year-old boy was seriously injured. All three were from Crawfordville in Wakulla County.

As of Monday afternoon, more than 250,000 customers were without electrical power in Florida. DeSantis said service had been restored to more than 150,000 homes and businesses. Some 17,000 line workers were working to restore electricity.

As of 3 p.m. Monday, all airports in the state were open. All seaports were expected to resume operation by nightfall, and the Florida Department of Transportation had completed inspections of 8,400 miles of roadway and 69 bridges. 

While the Skyway Bridge in Tampa is experiencing some closures, the most significant damage appeared to be downed signage. DeSantis said he will tour the storm-affected areas on Tuesday.  

Also, the Florida Department of Commerce received field requests to set up stand alone “pods” Tuesday in Jefferson, Taylor and Dixie counties to distribute supplies, food and other resources. The governor confirmed one pod is slated to be at the Taylor County Middle School.