Ryan Nicol
Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen says a state of emergency will be declared Friday afternoon as the region readies for a possible hit by Hurricane Dorian.
“It gives our county administrator the authority to direct an evacuation of appropriate areas, if it’s needed,” Bogen said of the emergency declaration, according to WPLG. As of yet, no evacuation orders have been issued.
“It gives our county administrator the authority to impose a curfew, if it’s needed. It allows us to require commercial establishments to close if they’re in imminent danger. It allows us to close public places, streets, alleys, parks, beaches and schools.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis urged the state into action with an emergency declaration Wednesday. That Executive Order covered 26 counties, including Broward.
On Thursday, DeSantis expanded the state of emergency to all 67 counties in Florida. President Donald Trump also declared a state of emergency Friday.
As Mayor Bogen noted, the emergency declaration gives a wider latitude to county officials for managing the storm’s impact.
The county has already cancelled public school events scheduled for this weekend.
Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie says the school district will provide updates on further cancellations for next weekend. Monday was already an off-day due to the Labor Day holiday.
Current projections have Hurricane Dorian as a possible Category 4 storm by the time it reaches Florida.
Projections as of late Friday morning have the storm hitting the southern portion of the state before turning up and moving northward through Orlando and Jacksonville.
