At a time when the nation's eyes will be on the Sunshine State for the Republican National Convention, state leaders and National Hurricane Center Officials are tracking the potential paths of Tropical Storm Isaac.
The system is making its way toward the Florida Keys, Tampa and the Panhandle at a rate that could put it in the Gulf of Mexico near Tampa at 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Gov. Rick Scott said Florida, which has a long history of dealing with hurricanes and tropical storms, is going to be prepared for Isaac.
And he reassured Floridians, convention delegates and visitors from across the nation who are currently finalizing their travel plans that everything is going to work out.
But as to the final determination if the convention -- a major national security event -- gets interrupted, Scott said that any decision is up to Republican National Committee organizers, and that contingency measures for a hurricane have been prearranged.
All thats required for those plans to be activated is for there to be a hurricane, and hopefully that will not happen, Scott said.
No decision is expected for a couple of days.
For a lot of people the most important thing is the Republican National Convention, but you know this could hit the Keys, Miami, Pensacola," Scott announced Thursday morning at Floridas Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. "It has all these different tracks, so our job is to get everybody ready right now.
As of 8 a.m. Thursday, Isaac was moving westward through the eastern Caribbean Sea, about 221 miles south-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.On its current track, the storm could be sitting in the Gulf of Mexico, west of Tampa around 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Its still too early to predict where Isaac can make landfall, Scott said.
Scott, who is scheduled to speak Monday night at the convention, said he has informed the Republican National Committee that he may not be available.
My job is to be the governor of the state, Scott said. Im responsible for the 19 million people who live here, and all the visitors.
Scott has directed Bryan Koon, Director at Florida Division of Emergency Management to activate the states Emergency Operations Center later today and to begin twice-daily briefings for the media and public.
The updates would increase as the storm approaches the state.
Delegates are being advised, as all Floridians and visitors to the state, to pay attention and follow directions, Scott said.
The forecast for the storm underwent a number of changes in the past 24 hours, most notably that the storm had been listed as reaching the Tampa area at midday on Monday.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
