An accidental emergency alert test woke up snoozing Floridians at around 4:45 a.m. on Thursday.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management issued an apology for their early-morning blunder, which was reportedly supposed to air exclusively on TV, not on everyone’s phones.
The text message alert Floridians received read, “TEST – This is a TEST of the Emergency Alert System. No action is required.”
We know a 4:45 AM wake up call isn’t ideal 😅@FLSERT wants to apologize for the early morning text. Each month, we test #emergencyalerts on a variety of platforms. This alert was supposed to be on TV, and not disturb anyone already sleeping.
— FL Division of Emergency Management (@FLSERT) April 20, 2023
“We know a 4:45 AM wake up call isn’t ideal,” the Florida Division of Emergency Management tweeted. “[The division] wants to apologize for the early morning text. Each month, we test #emergencyalerts on a variety of platforms. This alert was supposed to be on TV, and not disturb anyone already sleeping.”
Republican Florida Gov. Ron Desantis took to Twitter hours later, promising to hold the emergency management division accountable. “I’ve ordered FL Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie to bring swift accountability for the test of the emergency alert system in the wee hours of the morning. This was a completely inappropriate use of this system,” posted. (RELATED: Bill That Would Punish Businesses For Allowing Children To Attend Drag Shows Heads To DeSantis’ Desk)
Following the mishap, many Floridians said on social media that they planned to opt out of the public emergency service. The National Weather Service in Ruskin released a statement “STRONGLY” discouraging people from doing so, according to Fox 4 News.