President Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida as Tropical Storm Debby barrels toward the Sunshine State, the White House confirmed Sunday. 

The president’s move helps free up federal resources and authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts, the White House said. 

Debby was expected to become a hurricane as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, bringing with it the threat of devastating floods later in the week.

The storm was likely to become a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall Monday in the Big Bend region of Florida, per the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

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The flooding impacts, which could last through Friday, are expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia, Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina.

The hurricane center said in an update posted at 11 a.m. Sunday that Debby was located about 130 miles west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, and about 160 miles south-southwest of Cedar Key, Florida. The storm was moving north-northwest at 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, up from 50 mph just a few hours ago.

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"I'd urge all Floridians to be cognizant of the fact that we are going to have a hurricane hit the state, probably a Category 1, but it could be a little bit more powerful than that," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a Sunday morning briefing.

"But we are absolutely going to see a lot of rainfall. We are going to see a lot of saturation. We are going to see flooding events," he said. "There is also going to be power outages."

DeSantis said that, for the first time, constructed flood control devices are being placed at utility stations to try to minimize the risk of power interruptions because of flooding.

The National Hurricane Center predicted the system will strengthen as it curves off the southwest Florida coast, where the water has been extremely warm.

DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 of Florida's 67 counties, with the National Guard activating 3,000 members.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A United States Olympic shooter is reflecting on the future of the sport following her second consecutive run at the Olympic Games.

Mary Tucker, a Florida native currently residing in the Czech Republic, qualified to represent Team USA in the Women's Air and Smallbore Rifle competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

"It's nice to come from a country that takes so much pride in sports," Tucker told Fox News Digital. "I always say that I like representing the U.S.A. because it's one of those powerhouse countries in sports, in most things, but in sports especially."

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Tucker competed in the women's 50m rifle three positions on Aug. 1, where she earned 579 points and finished in 25th place.

Team USA’s Sagen Maddalena finished in first place and qualified for the final round, where she won a silver medal.

"My career is definitely not over," Tucker said. "I definitely have quite a lot more time, in my opinion."

Tucker, who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021, soared over shooting’s viewership at the 2024 Games, though she is concerned about the future of the Olympic sport.

"There is always talk of whether [shooting] is going to be taken out of the Games," she said. "That's kind of something that always looms. I think it's important for people to realize, and especially people who are fans of sports, that sport shooting and other types of shooting are fairly different."

Tucker said "it's a very safe sport" despite similarities to the basic principles.

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The West Virginia University graduate intends on focus in the near future on driving an uptick in youth involvement. At the same time, she hopes the IOC, as well as other associations and federations, will put up a fight for sports shooters.

"There are NCAA opportunities, opportunities for scholarships, for the Olympics, for traveling the world," she said.

Tucker is hopeful that a new generation of shooters becomes part of Team USA and, to crank up enthusiasm, she is launching her own coaching business in the near future.

"I have a passion for helping the next generation come up," Tucker said. "We need a lot more juniors so the sport can still grow."

Ahead of the competition in Tokyo, Tucker trained five to six hours each day, at least six days per week. For Paris 2024, she grounded her training in order to maximize a balanced life.

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In addition to shooting practice, Tucker incorporates cardio, yoga and strength training into her disciplines. More critically, she embraces a transportive mental workflow into the mix.

"It’s something you have to keep working on at all times," she said. "It’s a lot of visualization. Figuring out the range, what it will feel like, how the pressure will affect you and putting yourself in those situations in your head."

As Tucker has been nestled away in Europe, she had the opportunity last summer to shoot at the very range she competed at last week in Châteauroux, France, though the athletes were far from the 2024 Olympic festivities.

"It didn't feel like the Games to me," she said. "As unfortunate as it is, and we would love to be in the village and around the other sports, there was an element of calmness."

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Tucker, a Sarasota native, humbly believes shooting is a sport anyone can master if the motivation to explore and succeed is there.

"I could barely hit the target lying down, which is said to be the easiest position," she said.

Tucker said, as a high school athlete, she watched YouTube videos and replicated the techniques before entering into local competitions.

"I always say this is one of the sports, if not the only sport, that literally anyone can do," Tucker said. "You just really have to want to do it and have the motivation. I have horrible focus, and I am constantly moving, but I am able to stay focused for the seven seconds I need to."

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