Rather suprised it is still a mid strength Cat 1....thought it would come off the coast at 75 or 80mph rather than 85mph. Very tight circulation still..and a lot of warm water ahead. Defintely can see it being a Cat 2 by landfall later today.
It held together remarkably well over the state IMO. I was surprised to see sustained winds near 80mph with gusts over 100 in Orlando after it had been over land for nearly 6 hours. That fact alone helps me to believe that there is a localized area near Punta Gorda that is basically gone.
It does appear to be restrengthening again.