“It Was Pretty Mellow” – Florida Sensation Lieutenant Dan Says He Wasn’t Scared While Riding Out Hurricane Milton In His Boat

No big deal. Over the last three days, social media has fallen in love with a local Tampa man, Lieutenant Dan , whose real name is Joseph Malinowski. The one-legged veteran first went viral before the hurricane touched land, after he told social media he was planning to stay on his 20-foot sailboat during the storm. After the internet erupted with concern for the man as the Category 5 hurricane was barrelling towards land, he became the focal point of social media. Viewers wanted to learn more about the character (and boy, is he a character) of Lieutenant Dan. Before the storm hit land yesterday, the Tampa mayor held a press conference, noting that he had been evacuated from his boat and was in a shelter, but he was, in fact, NOT at a shelter and was still on his boat , ready to brave the hurricane. https://twitter.com/BrianEntin/status/1844028080618393818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1844028080618393818%7Ctwgr%5Efbda43f410755ae411ced816db90d2450558567a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiskeyriff.com%2F2024%2F10%2F10%2Fa-true-florida-man-the-internet-is-amazed-at-viral-florida-man-lieutenant-dans-40-mugshots%2F All night, social media users were worried about Dan's safety and whether he would make it out on the other side. Triumphantly, when citizens checked on him this morning, he was alive and well , and his trusty sailboat was still afloat. https://twitter.com/SenorCharlton/status/1844384005430645012?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1844384005430645012%7Ctwgr%5E5b156e0d0e08ae209e218357b71c0ead2a9a95f4%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiskeyriff.com%2F2024%2F10%2F10%2Fim-fine-viral-florida-man-lieutenant-dan-defied-the-odds-made-it-through-hurricane-milton-in-his-sailboat%2F In his first on-air interview since the hurricane, Dan told a correspondent from CBS News that he thought the storm was "mellow." "It was pretty mellow. The wind picked up for a little bit and bounced me around. At one point last night, I was getting bashed up against this wall (in the bay), so I went out and cut my anchor line to get away from it. So I have a $250 anchor over there that I've got to go in and get." Dan then says that despite other Floridians being afraid of what the storm would bring, he was never afraid of it. "No, I'm not scared of anything. What I've been through, this weather is nothing, and I put my faith in God... What happened last night was nothing compared to Helene. I'd remain on the boat no matter what." While I am not sure others would agree with Dan's thinking that the hurricane was "mellow," the collective can agree that we are all glad to hear from the legendary Florida man and that he is safe after the worst of the hurricane. Even with his colorful past , Dan has captured the nation's hearts, and I am sure we will hear more from him in the future.