Florida Braces for 'Life-Threatening' Hurricane Hermine

Doug LeFever inspects the seawall near his home at the Sandpiper Resort on Sept. 1 in Holmes Beach, Florida.

Hermine strengthened to a hurricane Thursday afternoon, with winds near 75 mph, as Florida braced to be thrashed by what the governor is calling a "life-threatening" tropical storm.

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A member of Manatee County Marine Rescue updates beach visitors after surveying the rip currents and weather conditions at Manatee Beach Park on Sept. 1 in Holmes Beach.

The last hurricane to make landfall in Florida was Wilma in 2005.

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Residents of the Sandpiper Resort survey the rising water coming from the Gulf of Mexico into their neighborhood on Sept. 1 in Holmes Beach.

Fifty-one counties in Florida were placed under a state of emergency ahead of Hermine's landfall.

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4. Daniel Fink, left, and Pete Stefani fill sandbags at the Cedar Cove Hotel as they prepare for Hermine on Sept. 1 in Cedar Key, Florida. John Raoux / AP

5. From left, Tim and Joe Allen board up the front of an outdoor bar as they prepare for Hermine on Sept. 1 in Cedar Key, Florida. John Raoux / AP

6. A surfer gets into the tube while surfing the swell from Hermine at St. Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, Florida on Sept. 1. Andrew Wardlow / AP

7. A dog wades through the shallow water at Shell Point Beach on Aug. 31 near Crawfordville, Florida. Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images