Tolls Waived As Evacuees Hit The Road Ahead Of Idalia: DeSantis

Updated at 9:30 p.m.

FLORIDA — Tolls in several Florida counties will be suspended early Tuesday to help with evacuations as Tropical Storm Idalia approaches the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

He directed the Florida Department of Transportation to waive tolls beginning at 4 a.m. Tuesday in Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sumter counties, WFLA reported. You can find out if you need to evacuate by checking here.

Toll collections will be suspended for seven days and will be reinstated on Tuesday, Sept. 5, at noon.

Routes included in the toll suspension are:

Hillsborough County

• I-4 Connector
• Selmon Expressway (S.R. 618)
• Veterans Expressway (S.R. 589)
• Suncoast Parkway (S.R. 589)

Citrus, Hernando and Pasco Counties

• Suncoast Parkway (S.R. 589)

Lake and Sumter Counties and Portions of Orange County

• Turnpike Mainline (I-75 to I-4)

Pinellas County

• Pinellas Bayway (S.R. 679)
• Sunshine Skyway Bridge (U.S. 19)

DeSantis has put his presidential campaign travels on pause and is set to stay in Florida to helm the Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee as Tropical Storm Idalia gains steam.

“We’re locked in on this, we’re going to get this job done,” DeSantis, who was supposed to campaign in South Carolina Monday, said in a Sunday news conference.

Tropical Storm Idalia is increasing in strength as it makes it way to Florida's Gulf Coast, possibly growing into a category three hurricane by landfall early this week, DeSantis said in a news conference Monday morning, adding that "it will become a hurricane today."

The storm, which could hit as soon as Tuesday, has the potential to bring "life-threatening storm surge, hurricane force winds and scattered flash and urban flooding" in parts of the state, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Hurricane Center currently has hurricane watches in effect on the Gulf Coast from Sarasota County up to Franklin County, DeSantis said. A State of Emergency has been extended to include 46 counties.

"Pretty much anybody on the west coast of Florida, I mean, you can see major, major impacts and so please plan accordingly," he added.

Officials have seven urban search and rescue teams and thousands of guardsman set to be deployed to impacted areas, as well as Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish and Wildlife "ready to go," according to DeSantis.

"As soon as that storm passes, they will be on the ground helping out Floridians," DeSantis said.