ORLANDO, Fla. -- Gov. Charlie Crist said on Friday that he is asking President George W. Bush to send Florida major recovery aid and urged weather-weary residents to be on guard against "Fay fatigue" as the tropical storm sloshes across the Panhandle.

"I want to stress that Fay has not left Florida and we must remain vigilant," Crist said at an afternoon briefing in the Emergency Operations Center.

Crist and other emergency officials visited the Wakulla County operations center earlier on Friday.

Craig Fugate, director of the Division of Emergency Management, said Fay is an enormous system with tornado threats and flooding from the eastern seaboard into the Big Bend and heading toward the Panhandle.

Crist said he is seeking "a major presidential declaration for financial aid" from the White House, which will trigger financial help for recovery. The state already got an emergency declaration, providing federal underwriting for debris clearance and other storm-related steps.

The Agency for Workforce Innovation is seeking a $20 million federal grant for job assistance in storm-damaged areas.

The governor said a seventh storm-related fatality was reported in a traffic incident in Palm Beach County.

State meteorologist Ben Nelson said the St. Marks and Suwannee rivers are among water bodies expected to rise sharply because of prolonged heavy rainfall. Nelson said the storm system could possibly get stuck over the western Panhandle and Mobile Bay next week, prolonging the threat of floods and possibly tornados.

Crist urged residents to respect the danger posed by a tropical storm as much as a hurricane.

"A lot of us certainly are suffering from Fay fatigue, but we've got to stay focused," Crist said.

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