Florida's Gulf Coast was bracing Monday for the possibility that Invest 97L, a tropical disturbance in the Caribbean Sea, could intensify quickly.

As of Monday morning, the disturbance had maximum wind speeds of 30 mph and was located about 350 miles south-southeast of the western tip of Cuba and about 130 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday declared a state of emergency for 41 counties, including Marion and Sumter in Central Florida.

Sandbag locations are set to open this week across the Big Bend ahead of a potential storm in anticipation of heavy rainfall.

Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 could hit Florida as Hurricane Helene later this week and several Bay Area municipalities have set up sandbag sites.

As forecasters watch a tropical disturbance that could become a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, some local governments in the Tampa Bay area started offering sandbags Monday. Officials note that while sandbags can be an effective tool to prevent minor water intrusion,