Search-and-rescue efforts have been narrowed to three counties hit hard by Category 3 Hurricane Idalia, while Gov. Ron DeSantis wants the federal government to expand a disaster declaration.

An aerial tour of the region in north-central Florida where Idalia made landfall early Wednesday and nearby communities revealed the devastating scale of destruction across Florida’s Big Bend from Cedar Key northwest to Horseshoe Beach to Steinhatchee to Keaton Beach to Perry and nearby Live Oak.

The mayor of Indian Rocks Beach in Pinellas County is imploring the federal government to jumpstart beach renourishment after Hurricane Idalia washed away more of the coast. But that would take changing some of the fed's requirements for private property owners.

Megan Borowski, a meteorologist for the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network, said Idalia could have gotten even stronger if it spent more time over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

When Hurricane Idalia slammed into the Florida coast, it decimated several small beach towns and fishing villages. Now, those communities are beginning the task of rebuilding.

Federal hurricane experts are warning people to avoid swimming this Labor Day holiday weekend, unless they’ve checked for the risk of rip currents.

Some companies are estimating the state will suffer billions of dollars in insured losses due to the storm, but an experts says it's much too early to determine final numbers and effects.

The city of Perry was hit hard by Hurricane Idalia. After the winds and rains cleared, community members realized recovery would be just as hard. But as neighbors gathered in the rural Big Bend town, they took the first steps toward picking up the pieces.

Storm surge and unusually high tides left some properties along the coast flooded with several feet of water. Residents are cleaning up the damage and bracing for a financial hit.

A narrower beach means less protection for homes and businesses along the coast. But a dispute over federal guidelines has delayed beach renourishment projects in Pinellas County.

Officials are monitoring the flood-prone Anclote and Pithlachascotee Rivers over the next 48 hours, which typically absorb significant water after a major storm.

Sarasota’s climate scientist says nine Atlantic basin storms typically have been seen much later ... if at all.