X5.8 did produce a CME and ejected high energy protons. Very high energy. >100 mEv protons already being measured and climbing. Notice the green line in the image. Way too early to tell how this is going to effect the current situation, but it certainly will not help and likely will make the radiation storm already in progress worse. Likely much worse, time will tell.
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/goes-proton-flux
If possible use optics…large objective lensed binoculars or a telescope aimed due north and low to the horizon. You might only see a light green or red hue. Avoid as much white light pollution and if you can set a timed exposure to gather as much light as possible for an image. Then again this thing may bring the show to you, it's still winding up I suspect.
Also in FL. Just went out with a pair of very good binoculars and the stars are still competing with the setting sun in the west, but a careful and relaxed view northward was definitely dimly magenta tinged. As it gets darker things may improve. A tripod mounted camera with a timed exposure might be more capable, but I don't have a convenient setup for that atm.
Hopeful, but that's still pretty far north of here. I have a feeling that some dank aurora will be seen.
That X5.8 produced a monster CME. Will have to get better coronagraphs to see if any of it is heading our way. If this had happened a few days ago, it would've been severe. Still early and hoping it's far enough towards the west to just miss us altogether. We'll see.
https://stereo-ssc.nascom.nasa.gov/browse/2024/05/11/ahead/cor2_rdiff/2048/thumbnail.shtml