Gov. Scott Declares State of Emergency For Florida

Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency Monday afternoon as the state deals with the effects of Tropical Storm Debby.

Scott declared a Level 1 state of emergency, the lowest, which activates storm operations in all 67 counties, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Scott receieved a briefing on the storm's effects before advising Floridians "to be safe, avoid non-essential driving, pay close attention to weather reports and stay away from downed power lines," according to the Times.

"I think the most important thing is, one, just use common sense. Be careful," Scott said. "If you're close to a beach, be very cautious. Look at all the beach advisories. If there's any standing water, if there's any flooding, don't drive into it. Be very, very, very cautious."

According to the most recent projected path of the storm, Debby should make landfall sometime between Thursday and Friday in the area between Sarasota and Levy counties. The National Hurricane Center has put the entire Tampa Bay area into its Tropical Storm Warning zone, including Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties.