Mesonet station XSRS Santa Rosa Sound DB127 recorded sustained winds of 84 mph with a measured wind gust of 116 mph.
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/lsr/?by=wfo&wfo=MOB&sts=202610100045&ets=202610100045&settings=1110100
Looks like landfall will be on Miramar Beach, which means Destin will stay on the left side. If there is any surge, it looks like it would be directed to some areas that have state park land, which is a plus.
I generally agree with you, especially being in the mid-Atlantic where a severe warning is verified on a 35mph gust that takes down a dead tree branch, but I don't think that this one matters too much. I might argue that 115mph sustained is a too high of a marker for an EWW. That's an EF2 tornado sustained!
Hopefully this cam stays up. https://maps.app.goo.gl/5GBwpLHVo3nQd6CH8
Maybe the interesting thing here is that the EWW text has no mention of wind speeds at all. It might simply be that the NWS offices are ignoring the 115mph sustained guidance and going with an EWW for all major hurricane eyewalls.
That is a short flight. Somebody made a really unnecessary mistake thinking that they could sneak into TLH.
Edit - they went back to ATL. What a miserable experience that must be.
A big factor is that TC tornadoes are strongly diurnal. The CAMs all have the same idea with a broken (super?)cellular line, but it doesn't really rotate up here until after sundown. If I were chasing, I think I'd head to Lynchburg and plan to follow the cells northeast.