Category 4 Hurricane Milton takes aim at Florida's Gulf Coast

(The Center Square) – Hurricane Milton, a major storm packing sustained winds of 145 mph, is predicted to make landfall in Manatee and Sarasota counties just south of Tampa Bay in Florida on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday said residents still have time to evacuate but time is running out as conditions deteriorate.

"This is a big storm and it's going to do a lot of damage," DeSantis said in Tallahassee. "It's going to create a lot of threats to life. It's obviously going to destroy property. We're bracing for that, but we're trying to mitigate the damage beforehand and we'll do everything we can to help with rescues and getting people back on their feet afterward."

The Republican governor also said debris removal crews in Manatee, Sarasota and Pinellas counties worked through Tuesday night to pick up debris left over from Hurricane Helene. She brushed the state's Gulf Coast before making landfall Sept. 26 in the Big Bend region.

DeSantis said crews and contractors removed 55,000 cubic yards of debris, which is about 3,000 truckloads and cut the amount of debris on the barrier islands in those three counties by 50%. It is important because loose impediments can become airborne turning into missile-like projectiles from the wind, or be a floating hazard in storm surge and torrential rain.

Law enforcement officials warned potential looters of consequences of taking advantage of the situation. Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said the state has 500 law enforcement officers from other states, along with 150 on the way that will be deputized by the state or county sheriffs to help with the storm and enforce laws.

"Florida will not stand for looting," Glass said. "We will come after you and we're not going to stop if anyone takes advantage of any of our citizens or visitors in this time of need."

DeSantis urged residents in coastal evacuation zones to go to shelters rather than head out on Interstates 4 and 75 and said evacuation hundreds of miles away in distance won't be necessary.

According to GasBuddy analyst Patrick DeHaan on X , 23.4% of stations in the state were out of gas as of 10 a.m.

State officials say 50,000 linemen are staged, some coming in from as far away as California, to help restore power after the storm. The state has also established a base camp at Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, that has a capacity of 10,000 workers. DeSantis has mobilized 5,000 National Guardsmen and National Guard helicopters from both inside and outside the state will help with rescue efforts.

Forecasters from the National Hurricane Center predict the storm will remain a hurricane as it crosses the peninsula, bringing hurricane-force winds to inland areas such as Lakeland, Orlando and Sebring. It will exit the state on the Atlantic Coast and head eastward into the ocean.

According to the Hurricane Center, hurricane-force winds (75 mph or greater) extend 35 miles out from the storm's center, with tropical storm-force winds (39 mph or greater) extending 175 miles from the center.

The storm is predicted to bring peak surge flooding of 8 to 12 feet in Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor and 10 to 15 feet between Anna Marie Island and Bonita Beach.