Agencies prepare for pre-season tropical weather

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Across the Bay Area, and the state of Florida, officials are bracing for the effects of Alberto this holiday weekend.

"We've got to be safe, take your time, think about what you're doing," said Governor Rick Scott.

It's too early to tell the subtropical storm’s path, but Scott says even if the storm only brings rain, you need to be smart.

"I know we all want to enjoy Memorial Day weekend with our families, but everybody needs to be safe," he said.

With safety in mind, Manatee County commissioners declared a local state of emergency Friday.

"One of the benefits to having the State of Emergency declared today is it gives us the ability to have the additional personnel out on the streets helping us monitor areas that we know are trouble," said Manatee County Director of Public Safety Robert Smith.

The long holiday weekend usually means more people hitting the beaches and tons of boaters. With serious weather looming, the Coast Guard is urging folks still hoping to get out on the water to take precautions and follow all marine warnings.

"They get caught off-guard, their boats not big enough for the type of weather they're going to be experiencing, and they either go down or they have some sort of mechanical failure," one official said.

Localities across the region are getting ready.  The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says it transitioned to storm mode Friday afternoon.

“Which means a number of high water response assets will be pre-positioned for those flood-prone areas," said Sheriff Chad Chronister.

Pasco County is also gearing up for Alberto.  Crews are keeping a close eye on its track, as well as the local water levels.

"If you flood when it rains, expect that you're gonna flood during this event, that is going to happen,” Assistant County Administrator for Public Safety, Kevin Guthrie said.

The storm is also impacting local celebrations for the holiday. For the first time ever, the annual downtown Sarasota Memorial Day parade planned for Monday has been called off, and the Venice Memorial Day ceremony at Patriots Park is canceled.