I don't know why people insisted otherwise, but anyone looking at the IR loop of this thing could tell it was strengthening. Now it looks like strong convection is wrapped around the center, and it even appears as if an eye is forming. Now, I have no idea what will come of this, but the storm certainly looks better organized than at almost any time today.
On a more important note, I hope everyone in the Carolinas is ok and that this storm passes without causing too much damage. Everyone talks about how "beautiful" these storms look, but the destruction in their paths is devastating to families and wildlife. Just keep that in mind, because the people in Florence's path don't think anything about this storm is beautiful.