Gov. DeSantis: Hurricane Nicole no comparison to ferocious Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Nicole left more than 300,000 homes and businesses across central Florida without power Thursday after making landfall south of Vero Beach as a Category 1 storm.

It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, but still looms large and dangerous, slamming the region with powerful winds and heavy rain.  

The rare November hurricane was centered about 30 miles northeast of Tampa at 10 a.m. The National Hurricane Center warned that Nicole would bring heavy downpours, strong winds, dangerous storm surge and flooding across a swath of the Southeast over the next couple of days.

Like he with Hurricane Ian, Gov. Ron DeSantis is briefing the media and the public daily throughout the storm.

Tracking Nicole:See spaghetti models, path and storm activity for Florida

WeatherTiger forecast:A city-by-city look at what impacts Florida can expect from Nicole 

Nicole's path:After making landfall in the Bahamas, Nicole will likely hit Florida as a hurricane

Here are the latest statewide developments:

DeSantis: Hurricane Nicole no comparison to Hurricane Ian 

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday morning that Hurricane Nicole didn’t pack the same punch as Ian earlier this year, but Florida officials stand ready to clean up whatever mess Nicole leaves behind. 

“This is obviously not as significant a storm as hurricane Ian was,” DeSantis said, before noting that beach erosion is a problem in some areas. 

Storm surge has impacted some structures along the coast near where Nicole made landfall south of Vero Beach, especially in Volusia County. 

Nicole also is causing flash flooding in some areas, and about 3% of the state is without power, DeSantis said. 

“Impacts have been basically what’s been expected,” the governor added. 

DeSantis said 17,000 utility lineman are on standby waiting for the storm to pass so they can restore electricity. The state also mobilized 600 national guardsmen to help with recovery, and 250 crews from the Florida Department of Transportation to inspect and clear roadways and bridges. 

“We’re ready and we have resources to respond to whatever post storm needs may arise,” DeSantis said. 

— Zac Anderson , USA Today Network-Florida

Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis warns electric vehicle owners about potential fires

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is advising electric vehicle owners to move their cars and trucks in anticipation of Hurricane Nicole because of reports of saltwater storm surge causing dangerous fires during Hurricane Ian.

“Let’s not let this happen again and take the necessary steps now to prevent a fire from happening in the future,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

He also is alerting Floridians to be on the lookout for post-storm fraud after Nicole goes through the state.

A small number of electric vehicles in Florida burst into flame during flooding caused by Hurricane Ian, and the fires raised awareness about a previously little-known safety issue for the millions of Americans who have bought or are thinking of buying an EV. But experts note all vehicles use concentrated power sources — whether gasoline, diesel or electricity — making them all vulnerable to ignition.

USA Today reported that, as of Oct. 26, there were 11 confirmed cases in which EVs caught fire in Florida after flooding from Ian, all believed to be due to the cars' battery packs shorting out after being submerged in saltwater or physical damage to the batteries during the flooding.

DeSantis expects Nicole to impact much of Florida

Tropical storm Nicole is expected to make landfall in Martin County overnight Thursday as a Category One hurricane and move through the state into the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall again in Florida’s Big Bend region, Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Wednesday.

“The combined winds and storm surge will contribute to continued beach erosion in areas that have already seen erosion from Hurricane Ian,” said DeSantis in describing the large storm. “We expect the impact to stretch far beyond the center track, including tropical storm force winds as far north as Jacksonville.”

He said he expect to see heavy rains, the potential for flash flooding and three to five feet of storm surge in some areas, noting that Palm Beach, Martin St. Lucie, Indian River, Brevard and Volusia counties are currently under a hurricane warning.

"This is likely going to be a storm that ... will affect the state of huge parts of the state of Florida pretty much all day on Thursday," he said.

DeSantis: Thousands of power restoration workers to be deployed for Nicole

People in impacted areas should pay close attention as the storm progresses and that they do not need to evacuate hundreds of miles away from the storm but instead need to move to safer areas inland, said DeSantis, who said Floridians in the storm’s path should expect to see “power outages when you're having these gusty conditions.”

He said about 16,000 linemen are prepared to start power restoration efforts and that the Florida National Guard has activated 600 guardsmen, along with seven urban search and rescue teams on standby.

Storm shelters opening, schools closing

Gov. Ron DeSantis said 15 shelters were being opened Wednesday along the east coast of Florida and that 17 school districts were closed or dismissed early Wednesday ahead of the storm. At least 23 school districts will be closed on Thursday.

A list of school closings was posted to the Florida Department of Education website.

President Biden approves emergency aid to 45 Florida counties in Nicole's path

In response to Tropical Storm Nicole, President Biden on Wednesday approved federal emergency aid to 45 Florida counties, along with the Miccosukee Tribe and Seminole Tribe.

The presidential action authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts. The counties approved for emergency aid are the following:

Alachua, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Desoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Jefferson, Lake, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Taylor, Volusia and Wakulla counties and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Thomas J. McCool was named the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal response operations in the affected areas. 

— Sergio Bustos, Enterprise/Politics Editor for Florida's Gannett/USA Today Network.