Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Debby inches closer to Florida.

Scott made the announcement Monday afternoon at the state Emergency Operations Center, which was activated hours earlier after a shift in Debby's track began pushing the storm toward the Florida Peninsula.

The governor said the Tampa Bay area has seen the most rain from Debby so far, but officials were concerned about the Big Bend area, where 20 inches of rain are possible in the coming days.

"We went to Level 1 to make sure we could coordinate with Emergency Management teams all across the state," said Scott. "We declared a state of emergency, so we could coordinate all state resources, to make sure that we can respond properly if anything happens."

The governor asked Floridians to use common sense, like not driving through standing water, being cautious at the beach, and assuming any downed power line is live.

"Everyone needs to be very, very, very cautious," Scott added.

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EOC Activation Levels

Level 1: Full Scale Activation

"In a full scale activation, all primary and support agencies under the state plan are notified. The State Emergency Operations Center will be staffed by Division of Emergency Management personnel and all Emergency Support Functions."

Level 2: Partial Activation

"This is a limited agency activation. All primary, or lead, Emergency Support Functions are notified. The State Emergency Operations Center will be staffed by Division of Emergency Management personnel and necessary Emergency Support Functions."

Level 3: Monitoring Activation

"Level 3 is typically a 'monitoring' phase. Notification will be made to those state agencies and Emergency Support Functions who would need to take action as part of their everyday responsibilities. The state Emergency Operation Center will be staffed with State Warning Point Communicators and Division of Emergency Management staff."