After discussing Tropical Storm Isaac with state storm leaders and convention hosts, Gov. Rick Scott said late Thursday morning that there are no plans to cancel the Republican National Convention.
Were so many days out, we have a plan in case there is a hurricane, Scott told the media while at Floridas Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee just before noon on Thursday.
Were hoping it continues to go west and dissipates.
The state has already moved into pre-storm mode, activating the center at 2 p.m. Thursday and advising the National Guard to be on standby because Isaac could impact Florida from the Florida Keys to the Panhandle.
At 11 a.m., Tropical Storm Isaac continued to move westward to the south of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, about 200 miles south-southeast of San Juan, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour.
The track adjusts the 8 a.m. forecast, pushing the storm a little farther west into the Gulf of Mexico, away from Tampa, by Tuesday.
A lot of the storm relies upon what happens after the system crosses Hispaniola and Cuba, which may cut down its strength and impact its direction.
Scott, who planned to head to Tampa around noon on Sunday, said it remains too early for the convention -- running from Aug. 27 to Aug. 30 -- to begin altering its schedule.
Officials with the convention Host Committee were not immediately available for comment.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
