Tropical Storm Elsa begins to lash Cedar Key

CEDAR KEY, Fla. – All eyes are on Tropical Storm Elsa as it makes its way up the Gulf Coast.

Overnight, it weakened from a Category 1 hurricane back to a tropical storm, but northwest Florida is still expected to be hit with winds near 70 miles per hour.

During Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 8:15 a.m. Wednesday press briefing, he said no deaths attributed from Elsa had been reported in the state.

Local 10 News reporter Roy Ramos was in Cedar Key, about an hour southwest of Gainesville, Wednesday morning as the rain and wind began to pick up.

REPLAY: Gov. Ron DeSantis gives update on Tropical Storm Elsa

He said everything was calm when he arrived around 10 p.m. Tuesday, but that changed over the next few hours.

The rain began to pick up around midnight. Ramos said storm surge wasn’t an issue early Wednesday, but that is expected to change later in the day when the storm system gets closer.

Employees at the hotel Ramos is staying at said they did secure their pool furniture, but they did not board up any windows as they don’t expect the storm to be that drastic

There are about 700 residents in Cedar Key who have dealt with their fair share of tropical storms and hurricanes.

Those who spoke with Local 10 News said they are optimistic about Elsa.

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About the Authors:

Roy Ramos joined the Local 10 News team in 2018. Roy is a South Florida native who grew up in Florida City. He attended Christopher Columbus High School, Homestead Senior High School and graduated from St. Thomas University.

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.