Tropical storm Isaac is heading towards Florida and the National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch and tropical storm warnings for the state for the first time since Isaac originated in the Caribbean.

The agency issued a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning tonight at 11 p.m. for all of the Florida Keys including Florida Bay and the coast of the Southern Florida Penninsula from Ocean Reef on the East Coast Westward to Bonita Beach on the west coast.

The watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the next 24 to 36 hours. Haiti is also under hurricane watch.

It also issued a tropical storm warning for the Southeast Florida coast from North of Ocean Reef Northward to Jupiter Inlet and for Lake Okeechobee.

The threat to Florida is important because the Republican Party is expected to hold its National Convention on Monday to nominate Mitt Romney as their Presidential Candidate in Tampa, Florida.

Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands are under a tropical storm warning as well, meaning tropical storm conditions are expected within 36 hours.

Total rain accumulations of 4 to 12 inches are possible across the Southern Penninsula of Florida, according to the report.

Isaac was located about 65 miles of Haiti's capital Port Au Prince. It was expected to make landfall in Haiti tonight and move near or over Cuba on Saturday. It had sustained winds near to 70 mph with higher gusts and was moving toward the northwest at a speed of 14 mph.

According to this path, Isaac was forecast to approach the Florida Keys on Sunday.