PoliticsFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis Calls Hurricane Isaias' Name 'Weird' and Refuses to Say It Because 'It's Not Normal': Watch
Ron DeSantis refused to use the hurricane's Spanish name.
Oct. 9 2026, Published 3:19 p.m. ET
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is having some fun with the incoming Category 3 Hurricane Isaias threatening his state, saying it's name is "weird" and that he'll call it something else.
"I don't know how to pronounce this because it's not normal," DeSantis shared an October 8 press conference. "I'm calling it Isaiah. You guys can call it what you want... It's weird. I'm just gonna keep butchering it for the next 72 hours, so I'm calling it Isaiah."
Governor DeSantis decided he'd call Hurricane Isaias something else.
DeSantis Previously Had No Issue With 'Isaias'
Desantis had no trouble saying 'Isaias' six years ago.
"Isaias" is pronounced "ees-AH-ee-ahs," not like "Isaiah" with an S at the end. It is the Spanish version of "Isaiah."
DeSantis' election to call Hurricane Isaias "Isaiah" is curious considering another hurricane named "Isaias" struck Florida in 2020. That year, the Florida governor had no issue pronouncing the hurricane's name correctly.
"I'm tired of having leaders that are proudly stupid," wrote one exhausted X commenter.
"Some lowest common denominator stuff right here, especially given his own Latin root last name," added another.
Commenters Baffled DeSantis Has Trouble With Spanish Name
Spanish is a widely spoken language in Florida.
Commenters on TikTok were similarly baffled.
One user wrote, "I’m sorry, Spanish isn’t normal? Spanish isn’t a normal language in FLORIDA????"
"So I guess Spanish people names are 'not normal' now. So tired of all this," added another.
A third wrote that they also weren't sure how to pronounce the name, but added, "if i was a politician i'd ask a few people around me the proper way to say it and go from there."
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Hurricane Names Are Given on a Rotating Basis
DeSantis also warned of potential flooding.
Hurricanes are named on a rotating basis by the World Meteorological Organization. There are six lists of alphabetical names which rotate out every six years, which is why there was a Hurricane Isaias in 2020 and another one in 2026.
The hurricane is the first to make landfall in what's been an unusually quiet hurricane season on the Atlantic. It is expected to hit on Florida's panhandle on October 9, bringing strong winds and possibly tornadoes on top of potential flooding and storming.
Florida and Alabama Prepare
Both Florida and Alabama officials said they were prepared for the worst.
DeSantis warned Floridians to prepare for flooding and potential shortages.
"When the water’s rising and things are happening, it’s a very, very difficult conundrum and you do not want to be caught in that,” he said.
Alabama and Florida panhandle counties have ordered evacuations. Mayor Jeff Collier of Dauphin Island, Alabama, said he did not anticipate significant damage, but added, "these things are very fickle and a little jog here or there, or some last-minute increase in strength — we just have to be prepared for the worst.”
