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State Watch Office

State Watch Office

The State Watch Office operates 24/7, 365 days a year as a daily extension of the Florida State Emergency Operations Center. The State Watch Office monitors local, state, and national media as well as communicates with Florida’s counties and state agencies to ensure that the State Emergency Response Team is aware of any on-going or developing situations. The SWO maintains communications systems and warning capabilities to ensure that the state’s population and emergency management agencies are warned of developing emergency situations and can communicate emergency response decisions as mandated by § 252.35 F.S.

The full list of reportable incidents are as follows:

CATEGORY

INCIDENT TYPES

FIRE / SEARCH &  RESCUE
  • Fire (Wildland, Multi-Unit Residential,
    Commercial, Industrial)
  • Search & Rescue

LAW ENFORCEMENT INCIDENTS /  SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
  • Bomb Threat or Device
  • Civil Events, Disturbances, and Rioting
  • Law Enforcement Activity
  • Suspicious Activity
  • Mass Migration

NATURAL HAZARDS
  • Earthquake
  • Ground Subsidence / Sinkhole
  • Weather Reports (flooding, funnel clouds, etc.)
  • Severe Weather Damage

POPULATION PROTECTIVE
ACTIONS
  • Public Health / Mass Casualty Incident
  • Population Protection, Evacuations, Shelters

TECHNICAL HAZARDS / ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
  • Petroleum Spill
  • Wastewater Release
  • HAZMAT Spills & Releases and Chemical,            Biological, Radiological, & Nuclear Incidents
  • Environmental Crime
  • Nuclear Power Plant Event
  • Animal / Agriculture Issue

TRANSPORTATION INCIDENTS
  • Aircraft / Airport
  • Road / Bridge Issue
  • Railroad Accidents or Derailment
  • Marine Incident (Transport, Recreation, or
    Commercial)

UTILITIES / INFRASTRUCTURE
  • Dam Failure / Overtopping
  • Drinking Water Facility Breach
  • Water Quality Issue or Boil Water Advisory
  • Utility Disruption or Emergency / Power Outage
  • 911 Disruption
  • Structural Integrity Issues

CYBER INCIDENTS
  • Ransomware
  • Attack/Breach of critical infrastructure

MILITARY / SPACE
  • Kennedy Space Center
  • Military Activity

Last update: May 2024

View the State Watch Office Flip Book

§252.351 F.S. requires the Division create a list of reportable incidents and requires political subdivisions to report incidents contained on the list to the State Watch Office. The Division is required to update and distribute this list to political subdivisions by December 1 of each year. The below documents are formal notices of updates and additions to the list of mandatory reportable incidents.

2024: Reportable Incidents Criteria Amendments

2023: Reportable Incident Criteria Amendments

2022 Update: Reportable Incident Criteria Amendments

2021 Update: Reportable Incidents

 

 

To reach the State Watch Office, please call:

  • 1-800-320-0519
  • 850-815-4001

Or email:

Sam Walters
State Watch Office Supervisor/Deputy Operations Section Chief/Safety Officer

Woody Harvey
State Watch Office Supervisor/Deputy Operations Chief/Mass Notification Specialist

Caitlyn Gillespie
Deputy State Meteorologist
State Watch Officer

Jeremy Whitt
Operations Duty Officer

Benjamin Mauro
Operations Duty Officer

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Florida Division of Emergency Management

2555 Shumard Oak Blvd. Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2100

Phone: 850-815-4000

For Florida Relay Service:
Dial 711 (TDD/TTY)        

Weather Outlook

Friday, November 22, 2024

...Mostly Sunny and Dry Conditions Expected Statewide With A Cool and Dry Area of High Pressure Building In...Breezy Winds With Gusts Upwards of 15-25 MPH Persist Across the State...Elevated Risk for Fire Weather Across the North-Central Peninsula Today; Sensitive to Elevated Wildfire Conditions Expected Across Portions of North and Central Florida With Locally Sensitive Wildfire Conditions Elsewhere As Relative Humidity Values Fall Near or Below Critical Thresholds...Elevated Winds To Cause Temperatures to Feel Like They Are In The Low to Middle 30s Across North Florida Overnight Into Early Saturday Morning...Frost Advisories Issued Along the Western Panhandle Diminishing Winds Will Allow For Areas of Frost Across North Florida Overnight Into Early Saturday Morning; Additional Frost Advisories Will Likely Be Issued Later Today...Moderate to High Risk for Rip Currents and Hazardous Beach and Boating Conditions Persist Statewide...Minor Saltwater Flooding Continues Along the Upper and Middle Keys...

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