Hurricane Idalia smashes into Florida; too soon to gauge damage to dealerships

Hurricane Idalia smashed into Florida's western coast about 7:45 a.m. EST Wednesday as an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 storm, bringing winds of 125 mph and heavy rains, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Ted Smith, president of the Florida Automobile Dealers Association, which represents hundreds of dealerships in the state, said it's too soon to know the impact to stores or the extent of damage.

Smith, of Tallahassee, said he evacuated on Tuesday.

"I actually left yesterday because it appeared that we were going to get hit with 100 mph winds," Smith told Automotive News. "I'm obviously on top of what's happening in Tallahassee and we've been really blessed.

"The storm has gone to the east of us, up through the county of Taylor and east of Tallahassee, so that's not as populated of an area, which is a blessing."

The storm made landfall near Keaton Beach along Florida's Big Bend area. Floodwaters have begun to swallow roads and close bridges. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in at least 46 counties, according to the Associated Press.

Used-vehicle giant CarMax Inc. has closed 11 stores across Florida, Georgia and South Carolina so employees could take precautions, Joe Wilson, COO of CarMax, said in an email.

“We are actively monitoring the storm and will respond quickly to help meet the needs of our associates and communities,” Wilson wrote.

And Fields Auto Group, of Northfield, Ill., which owns dealerships selling luxury cars in Illinois, Wisconsin, North  Carolina and Florida, on Wednesday also closed at two of its dealerships, Fields BMW Lakeland and Fields Motorcars, a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Lakeland, due to the hurricane, according to a LinkedIn post.

Georgia and the Carolinas are next in Idalia's path.

Some dealerships closed ahead of Idalia's arrival, including those under the Nimnicht Family of Dealerships in the Jacksonville, Fla., area, which posted a LinkedIn message signaling the closure Wednesday: "We plan to re-open with regular business hours on Thursday, August 31st. Please be safe!"

Morgan Automotive Group, one of the largest dealership groups in the country with dozens of stores across the state, said its dealerships appeared to be relatively unscathed so far. Its stores were operating Wednesday with reduced staffing.

"All in all, we dodged a bullet even in the area where the hurricane hit landfall," Morgan Automotive Chairman Larry Morgan said in an email. "So far, no injuries or serious damage to facilities. Of course, we are losing at least two days of business here at month end as customers are preoccupied."

Penske Automotive Group spokesman Anthony Pordon said via email that the retailer's Florida stores remained open as of Wednesday morning.

"Penske Automotive operates dealerships in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm and Orlando," Pordon said. "We did not close any dealerships. We took precautions to prepare for any potential change in the forecasted path of the storm but operations remained normal."

Dealership giant AutoNation Inc. which has stores in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, said it is taking a number of steps to help its employees.

“Our first priority is the well-being and safety of our associates, and we are taking measures to be prepared for them first, including water and dry goods stationed at nearby locations,” the company said in a statement to Automotive News.

AutoNation has moved vehicles and secured building exteriors where necessary to prepare for high rain and winds, the company said.

Private auto retailer Hudson Automotive Group of Charleston, S.C., owns dozens of dealerships including in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Hudson President David Hudson said in an email to Automotive News that the group made minor adjustments in anticipation of the storm.

“We closed our dealerships in the Charleston market at noon today and will reopen at 11 a.m. tomorrow,” Hudson wrote Wednesday afternoon.

Idalia was downgraded to a tropical storm about 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Gail Kachadourian Howe, C.J. Moore and Mark Hollmer contributed to this report.