Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Sarasota, ending a long and anxious wait

The Tampa Bay region’s century long streak of luck has run out.

Hurricane Milton, a menacing Category 3 storm with sustained winds measured at more than 100 mph, crashed into Siesta Key in Sarasota County on Wednesday at about 8:30 p.m. — less than two weeks after the west coast of Florida saw widespread devastation from Hurricane Helene.

Some forecast models had Milton headed straight up the gut of Tampa Bay, right through the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge. But the storm’s path wobbled, directing Milton east as it neared Florida’s beaches. The feared catastrophic storm surge into Tampa Bay instead hit dozens of miles to the south.

In Fort Myers Beach, authorities reported significant flooding hours before landfall. The same small strip of resorts and restaurants pummeled by Hurricane Ian in 2022 lay underwater early Wednesday evening.

And to the north, in Tampa, residents facing triple digit mph winds were told to shelter in place. Just before landfall, Hillsborough County officials warned residents of potential flash floods.

The early fears of up to 15-feet of storm surge appeared to miss Tampa Bay. Some tide gauges indicated that Milton was sucking water out of Tampa Bay on Wednesday — reminiscent of the effects of Hurricane Irma in 2017. But Hillsborough and Pinellas were by no means out of the woods given the bruising winds and potential for flash flooding.

Still, fearing storm surge in the wake of Helene, St. Petersburg officials shut off two sewage treatment plants hours before the city saw the storm’s worst effects, leaving two-thirds of the city without the ability to flush toilets or use their drains.

At 7 p.m., the National Weather Service warned of potential storm surge as high as 13 feet in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

By 8 p.m., more than 300,000 in Pinellas and Hillsborough were without power, as winds and relentless sideways rain pounded much of the Gulf Coast.

In one surreal moment late Wednesday, the Weather Channel’s storm chasing meteorologists reported from the ground. Donning protective helmets or hooded rain jackets, the reporters were rocked by gusts, their transmissions muffled by the howling winds. But this time, they were here, in Tampa and Sarasota, not in Miami or Fort Myers, or Charleston, South Carolina or New Orleans.

Tampa Bay is used to preparing for major storms. Charley, Irma, Ian and Idalia all threatened, but each drifted away.

With so many near misses, authorities have long worried that residents would fail to heed evacuation warnings in the event of a major direct hit. Fortunately, with the memory of Hurricane Helene still fresh, residents seem to have taken officials seriously.

“This is it, folks,” said Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County. “Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout.”

Earlier in the week, Milton clocked in at a Category 5 with maximum sustained winds measured at an astounding 175 mph. The storm lost some of its strength as it collided with shear near Florida’s west coast. But it remained a formidable Category 3 storm.

Despite the storm’s weakening, President Joe Biden warned Floridians of its power in an address ahead of landfall.

”Milton still carries incredible destructiveness, can wipe out communities, can cause loss of life,” Biden said from the White House.

Through most of Wednesday, Tampa Bay seemed prepared.

Traffic was light. Many of those who skipped town had done so days ago. In the cities, storefronts were boarded, streets largely deserted. Some shelters were full. Those defying logic and official calls to leave seemed fewer.

Before noon, officials closed the area’s major bridges. Gov. Ron DeSantis told those in the storm’s path to be ready to lose power. Impending landfall confined a region more populous than 20 states to a nervous vigil.

Milton unleashed his first blows onto the state hours before he officially announced his presence. Officials spotted a tornado near Miami, then another near Fort Myers. In all, residents were hit with more than 150 tornado warnings, though the vast majority expired before any touchdowns could be reported.

As the storm crept closer, its track remained uncertain. At one point in the afternoon, it shot straight north for a few miles. But as predicted, that menacing track did not hold. Instead, the storm turned northeast.

Milton arrived faster than forecasters expected earlier in the week. That’s because the storm picked up speed Wednesday, churning through the Gulf at a robust 17 mph.

Some followed the storm’s every move along with broadcasters or news websites. Others kept the TV off, and logged out of social media. The wait was bad enough without apocalyptic headlines.

Those with the choice were relatively lucky.

At the completely-booked Wesley Chapel Hyatt Place, Bradenton’s Steve Zorn and Amie Spencer fretted about last-minute evacuation logistics.

They had a room, and now they didn’t.

Spencer reserved the hotel at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday for just one night — Tuesday — thinking Milton would arrive sooner. Now it was past checkout time, and the hotel had nothing available for Wednesday night.

“It was literally a 24 hour a day job for three days to find a place only to get kicked out,” Spencer said.

The neighbors were hoping for a last-minute cancellation. If nothing emerged, they would need to head upstairs, gather their things, pack up Zorn’s F-150 and drive to Lakeland as the weather began to worsen. At 4:30 a.m., Spencer had found the last room available at a Best Western there.

“We’d rather not have to leave,” Spencer said.

Back in Bradenton, their mobile homes are in Zone A, in a neighborly 55-and-over community called Terra Palms that rallied when one of their own lost her roof during Helene. It’s about two miles from Sarasota Bay.

In the hotel lobby, while other families arrived to check in, a manager approached at 12:15.

“I’m sorry, but there is nothing – there were no cancellations,” he said.

With just hours to landfall, the couple would have to brave Milton’s first lashes.

Would any of this — the storm, the impromptu lobby campout, the last minute shift — sour their opinion on living in Florida?

“Oh no,” Zorn said. “Not at all.”

Times editor Mark Katches, reporter Colleen Wright and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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