As parts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee are still dealing with the destruction of Hurricane Helene, another major hurricane is forecast to hit Florida’s west coast by mid-week.

Hurricane Milton, which intensified to a Category 5 storm in the western Gulf of Mexico Monday morning with sustained winds of 160 mph, is currently forecast to affect much of the west coast of Florida, including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Cape Coral and more.

According to the National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) 10 a.m. Central update on Monday, over the next 36 hours, the storm is expected to encounter less favorable conditions and weaken some before reaching the Florida coast.

A Hurricane Watch is currently in effect for almost the entire west coast of the state, from just south of the Big Bed to south of Naples. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for certain parts of the state.

In an effort to prepare for the storm, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for much of the state. The declaration allows state agencies to waive trucking and other regulations, including hours of service limits, registration requirements, IFTA requirements, size and weight restrictions, toll collections and more.

As of Monday morning, the Florida DOT and the Florida Turnpike have suspended tolls in West and Central Florida to help facilitate evacuations out of the areas in the path of Hurricane Milton. FDOT is also putting Emergency Shoulder Use plans in place to allow motorists to use the left shoulder as an extra lane in designated areas on Eastbound I-4 and Northbound I-75. 

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), which is responsible for most trucking-related regulations in the state, has not yet announced waivers of trucking regulations.

Stay tuned to this post as the storm continues to develop this week for forecast updates and any waivers of regulations for storm response.