If Irma’s eyes goes directly thru center of the peninsula north then the worst winds will be in mostly unpopulated Everglades. Also as it moves North, the eye should weaken.
If true, the alligators are in for a wild weekend. I guess that does seem like one of the best possible paths with regard to affecting the least amount of people but I assume Miami would still see some serious storm surge if the eye moved through the Everglades.