‘Following the data’: DeSantis defends Lee County’s late evacuation order

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the timing of evacuation orders issued in Lee County, which bore the brunt of the state’s fatalities from Hurricane Ian.

The southwestern county that includes Fort Myers and Cape Coral did not tell coastal residents to flee their homes until Tuesday evening, 21 hours before the deadly Category 4 superstorm made landfall on North Captiva Island.

At least 35 county residents were reported dead, making up more than half of the 66 deaths reported in Florida by Sunday morning, according to CNN.

Several neighboring counties issued evacuation orders Monday evening or Tuesday morning, but DeSantis defended the timing of the alert by Lee County officials, which he said was based on the forecasts available at the time.