From all the publicity to the movement of this tropical storm, it sure looks like this was a controlled operation from beginning to end.

Hurricane Matthew Spares Florida Major Winds; Dangerous Storm Surge and Rains Arrive
By: Jeff Masters | Weather Underground
4:16 PM GMT on October 07, 2016
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Hurricane Matthew has spared Florida the worst. A mighty Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds when it devastated Grand Bahama Island on Thursday, Matthew underwent a collapse of its inner eyewall on Thursday evening, which resulted in the hurricane weakening dramatically. Now a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds as of the 11 am EDT Friday advisory, Matthew has yet to generate sustained winds of hurricane force anywhere in Florida, though a gust of 107 mph was recorded on Cape Canaveral this morning. Matthew’s center came within 30 miles of Cape Canaveral, but the western eyewall of the storm has, for the most part, remained barely offshore today.

Hurricane Matthew radar at 11:33 am EDT Friday, October 7, 2016, as seen on our wundermap with the storm surge layer turned on. Storm surge levels of 1.2 - 2.4’ were along the east coast of Florida.

Intensity forecast: a slow weakening of Matthew
Satellite loops on Friday morning showed a solid but not spectacular major hurricane, with plenty of heavy thunderstorms with cold cloud tops in the eyewall. However, the eye had gotten less prominent since Thursday, and the intensity of the thunderstorms had decreased.