One disgruntled resident ranted that the forecasts had been for the eastern side of Florida until recently and he was mad at the weather service for misleading him!
Hurricanes are notoriously unpredictable. Just too many variables to be able to properly forecast passed a certain time-frame. Being in Central Florida, we are usually in the safest part of the state, depending on the path of various storms.
By the way, as of this morning, I am just starting to feel the outer effects of Irma. Lots of cloud cover and drizzle. By this afternoon and evening, the winds will pick up and the rain will become more intense. The good news from my perspective is the main eye of the storm is well west of me. But due to the size of Irma, pretty much everyone in the whole state is affected.