On October 7, 2018, Governor Rick Scott issued Executive Order 18-276 officially declaring a state of emergency in 26 counties including Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Gadsden, Liberty, Franklin, Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Hamilton, Suwannee, Lafayette, Dixie, Columbia, Gilchrist, Levy, and Citrus counties in response to potential landfall from Tropical Storm Michael. On October 8, 2018, Governor Scott issued Executive Order 18-277 which recognized the then Tropical Storm Michael would likely strike the Florida panhandle as a Hurricane and extended the previous Executive Order to include Baker, Union, Bradford, Alachua, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Manatee counties.
