Hurricane Milton carves deadly path through Florida, millions without power

The Tampa airport is repairing minimal damage and is expected to reopen on Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday at a press conference. 

Speaking from the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, he also indicated that ocean ports will likely be able to resume operations "very quickly." 

Some Florida schools may reopen on Friday as well. 

"We still have a lot of school closures for today. I think Floridians should just keep in contact with their their local officials about what that's going to be," DeSantis said. "I would imagine a lot of the schools, that we're not necessarily in the direct path of the storm will be open tomorrow." 

DeSantis said the state has not officially confirmed any fatalities, but “that does not mean there has not been any,” he said. He said he’s aware of reports of fatalities associated with tornadoes on the eastern side of the state.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

PUNTA GORDA - OCTOBER 10: In this aerial view, Flood waters inundate a neighborhood after Hurricane Milton came ashore on October 10, 2024, in Punta Gorda, Florida. The storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in the Siesta Key area of Florida, causing damage and flooding throughout Central Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis provided an update on Hurricane Milton Thursday morning after the storm made landfall overnight and moved north east through the Sunshine State.

"Around 8:30 p.m. last night, Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County. It moved quickly across central Florida overnight, producing significant flooding and damaging winds near its path. The storm did bring much destruction and damage," DeSantis said. 

The governor said tornadoes ravaged the eastern part of the state ahead of Milton's landfall. He reported flooding along the west and east coasts and strong winds in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota Counties. 

"We had over 80,000 people that were into shelters overnight as the storm hit the state. We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses," DeSantis said, adding that first responders have been working through the night to assist people in distress.

"And what we can say is the storm was significant, but thankfully, this was not the worst case scenario. The storm did weaken before landfall and the storm surge, as initially reported, has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene." 

A Florida small business owner said he is "experiencing the worst" for his store after Hurricane Milton made landfall just weeks following Hurricane Helene.

Cariloha Sarasota store owner Jeff Snell spoke to "Fox & Friends" on Thursday about his experience. Snell's store was flooded two weeks ago and with Milton making landfall in his backyard, the business owner said he was faced with "total destruction." 

"It is our sole source of income. And after Helene, we started looking for another job while we were rebuilding. And hopefully the stores are still standing so we can rebuild them now with some help," he said. 

Snell lives in Venice, just south of Sarasota. He evacuated to Ft. Lauderdale ahead of Milton after seeing the damage that Helene wrought. 

"It's extremely stressful," he said. "We're worried about our parents who live up in the Brandon Valrico area now, and they're in their upper 80s. So I don't know how they're doing. And we'll wake up to see like everybody else how bad our home is flooded."

Volusia County Fire Rescue personnel respond to an emergency call in flood waters before dawn as Hurricane Milton moved through central Florida, in south Daytona, Florida, U.S. October 10, 2024. Nadia Zomorodian/News-Journal/USA Today Network via REUTERS

First responders in Florida are answering emergency calls for rescue from the dangerous flood waters caused by Hurricane Milton.

Volusia County Fire Rescue personnel were pictured saving someone from flooding in a pre-dawn rescue Thursday morning.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management warned of dangerous tropical storm force winds, flooding and storm surge in the East Coast and Central Florida as Hurricane Milton continues to move offshore. 

"Avoid flooded areas at all costs & continue to follow all weather alerts," authorities posted on social media. 

A significant portion of Volusia County, which includes Daytona Beach, is currently without power, FOX Weather reported. Daytona Beach was categorized as a Level 4 risk for both storm surge and freshwater flooding.

FOX Weather Meteorologist Haley Meier was on scene and reported there appeared to be less flooding in Daytona Beach compared to previous hurricanes.

"With (Hurricanes) Ian and with Nicole, we had a dam breach and that led to the significant flooding. In regard to this storm, (city officials) have made the necessary preps. So I'm not seeing that in abundance," she said. 

The St. Lucie County Emergency Operations Center confirmed to FOX Weather that at least four people were killed after several tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton touched down on Wednesday.

Sheriff Keith Pearson said search and rescue crews were mobilizing to find victims in Spanish Lakes Country Club in Fort Pierce, where a significant tornado ripped through.

"They didn’t stand a chance," Pearson said. "Everything in (the tornado's) path is just devastated. Our deputies are out there even while the storm Milton is approaching with National Guardsmen, with search and rescue teams going through the rubble."

The sheriff reported that hundreds of homes were either damaged or destroyed in the county. The exact number of people trapped and in need of rescue is unknown.

"We’ve got about 300 members of law enforcement and volunteers out there sifting through these residences on the rescue mission to see if we can get anybody else out of there," Pearson told FOX Weather. 

The sheriff's office was among those buildings that were damaged. A video taken outside the headquarters showed a 10,000 square foot building that was demolished by a tornado. Pearson said no one was inside and no one was injured.  

A vehicle is stranded on a water-flooded street after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Brandon, Florida on October 9, 2024. (MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)

Residents of Sarasota County, Florida should not travel Thursday morning as the roads are reported to be dangerous after Hurricane Milton passed, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

Reports from "first-in" emergency crews indicated downed power lines and trees have blocked roadways, the sheriff's office said in a social media post. Some bridges in the county are not passable.

"We urge residents and business owners to stay off the roads and give our emergency and utility crews time to work. The storm may have passed but it is still dangerous to be traveling this morning," the sheriff's office said.

Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key in Sarasota County late Wednesday. Wind gusts reached 102 mph in St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Siesta Key, while the strongest gust in the state was 107 mph south of Sarasota around Venice, FOX Weather reported. 

President Biden spoke with Sarasota Mayor Liz Alper on Wednesday and reassured the mayor that the federal government will provide significant resources to aid rescue, recovery and rebuilding operations in impacted communities. 

Powerful winds from Hurricane Milton have forced a construction crane to collapse in downtown St. Petersburg, leaving what is described as a "gaping hole" in an office building. 

The crane tumbled overnight from 400 Central Avenue, according to Fox13 Tampa Bay. The 515-foot-tall luxury condominium high-rise will be "one of the tallest residential buildings on the west coast of Florida" upon its completion in summer 2025, its website says. 

There were no reports of injuries from the collapse, but the Tampa Bay Times says the crane left a "gaping hole" in an office building that houses its headquarters, which had been evacuated in advance of Hurricane Milton’s arrival on Wednesday. 

A video taken at the scene showed one part of the crane resting against the office building while another part blocked off a street. 

Prior to the collapse, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch expressed concerns about the cranes and how they would fare during Milton, Fox13 Tampa Bay reports. 

Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (CSU/CIRA & NOAA)

Hurricane Milton has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

As of 5 a.m. Thursday, the storm was located about 10 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, continuing north and east at a speed of 18 mph.

The weather service uses the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to estimate potential property damage caused by a hurricane’s sustained wind speed. A Category 1 hurricane is considered to have very dangerous winds that topple shallow-rooted trees, snap tree limbs and damage the exterior of well-constructed frame homes. They can also cause extensive damage to power lines.

Hurricane Milton was a Category 3 storm when it made landfall Wednesday evening. That rating means devastating damage is expected to occur, including roofs torn from well-constructed homes, trees uprooted, and electricity and water systems unavailable for days to weeks.

In addition to high speed winds, the hurricane has spawned several deadly tornadoes that tore through Florida communities Wednesday afternoon. Heavy rain and storm surges have also caused dangerous flooding in coastal areas.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Former President Trump's family is hosting 275 Florida Power and Light linemen at his hotel in Miami due to Hurricane Milton.

"You are amazing and the Trump Family, and entire state of Florida, appreciates you!" the former president's son, Eric Trump, wrote on the social media platform X. "Enjoy the rooms - they are the best in Florida! Be safe!"

The linemen are slated to respond to the aftermath of the hurricane.

The storm knocked out power across a large section of Florida, with more than 3.2 million homes and businesses without electricity, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.

At a news conference in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis described deployment of a wide range of resources, including 9,000 National Guard members from Florida and other states; over 50,000 utility workers from as far as California; and highway patrol cars with sirens to escort gasoline tankers to replenish supplies so people could fill up their tanks before evacuating.

Fox News Digital's Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this update.

More than 3 million people in Florida are without power Thursday morning after Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key last night as a Category 3 storm with winds of 120 mph, devastating the state's west coast.

Milton, which is a Category 1 storm at the time of this report, has currently moved off Florida's east coast after bringing damaging winds, flooding rains and a developing storm surge threat to that area.

More than 10 inches of rain has fallen so far in some parts of Florida and an additional 8 to 12 inches of rain is possible in many areas as a result of Hurricane Milton. In St. Petersburg, where the roof was torn off the Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field, 18 inches of rain was recorded over a 24-hour span, according to Fox Weather.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson also confirmed to Fox Weather that there have been 17 tornadoes along with several fatalities in his county, with "a rescue mission ongoing, and hundreds of homes destroyed."

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom, Bradford Betz, Gabriele Regalbuto, Stepheny Price, Landon Mion and Greg Norman contributed to this update.