The winds are still intense in Riverside with the St. John’s whipping on shore.It’s a sight Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown wanted everyone to see.

“I’m glad I’ve got the Governor here, the Senator here, and the Congressman here so that, if we need the money you know they’re the ones that can do it,” he says with a laugh.

The Mayor gathered with Florida Governor Rick Scott, Senator Bill Nelson, Congressman Ander Crenshaw, City Council President Stephen Joost and a number of other local officials today on Riverside and Stockton to talk about the city’s next step in dealing with the aftermath of Beryl.Prior storm seasons have left Jacksonville with millions of dollars in repairs, but Brown hoped declaring a local state of emergency early in this storm would help bring some much needed funding to the area.

While the Mayor and Governor has a tight line of communication throughout this storm, Governor Scott was not yet sure if the debris and damage would need help from FEMA.

“They’re trying to save all the money they can, not waste everybody’s money,” he says.

The extent of the damage around the city has not been completely measured yet.The focus is rather on clearing the streets and restoring power to those in Jacksonville still in the dark.Brown says there are 1,000 city staffers around town today and they will continue to work through the night to clear the damage.

City Council President Stephen Joost says these staffers and the local first responders deserve the credit for keeping the city safe through the storm.

“The firemen and policemen and JEA workers have done a tremendous job for the city of Jacksonville,” he says.

Whether coming from the Governor or other officials in attendance, there was a consensus that Jacksonville has passed this early “test” of the storm season.But Senator Bill Nelson says we need to pay attention to what having a significant storm before the hurricane season even begins could mean.

“This is either a troubling sign or an unusual sign,” he says.

Before looking forward to the rest of the season, Governor Scott says now we can just be thankful this storm didn’t intensify in to a full hurricane.