Hurricane Milton death toll at 17 Friday across Florida. Here's where
(This story was updated to add new information.)
At least 17 people have died in connection with Hurricane Milton's statewide destruction and flooding so far, officials said.
Fatalities may increase "as the day goes on," said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a press conference in Fort Pierce on Thursday afternoon. “My sense is that a lot of people did leave who were in the evacuation zones."
Here are the confirmed fatalities so far.
Citrus County Hurricane Milton deaths
A 46-year-old Inverness man died when he ran into a falling tree early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. FOX 13 reported that the unidentified man was traveling eastbound on East Parsons Point Road around 1:30 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the FHP said.
Hillsborough County Hurricane Milton deaths
In Tampa, a woman in her early 70s was found underneath a branch of a large tree branch collapsed, the city police department said in a statement. Based on the preliminary investigation, "post-hurricane restoration efforts were being done on the property, when the limb fell," police said, adding the death appeared accidental.
Orange County Hurricane Milton deaths
(This story was updated to add new information.)
A man was found dead in his Orlando yard, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, which said in a statement it "appears the man stepped on a downed power line while he was clearing debris from Hurricane Milton."
Pinellas County Hurricane Milton deaths
Two people have been confirmed dead in St. Petersburg, according to St. Petersburg Police Chief Tony Holloway.
"We received two fatalities," Holloway said during a press conference Thursday morning. "One was a medical, the other one was someone that was found in the park. We're waiting to get the medical examiner to give us cause of death."
There may be more. Officials in some regions said they were still working on the emergency call queue as first responders were forced to stop responding overnight when conditions became too dangerous.
Polk County Hurricane Milton deaths
Bruce Kinsler, 68, a Fort Meade Maintenance Unit employee was with other crew members using a chainsaw to remove a tree blocking US 98 when he was struck by another Polk County employee who was driving in to help, according to a release from Polk County. Kinsler was killed and the other crewmember was taken to a hospital, the release said.
“The tragedy of this incident is compounded by the fact that Bruce Kinsler was killed serving the residents of this county,” said Bill Braswell, Polk County Commission Board Chair. “We ask a lot of the employees as public servants, and they respond to the call. For this to happen is just a tragedy.”
Sarasota County Hurricane Milton deaths
In Sarasota County, there is one reported fatality, according to CBS News.
St. Lucie County Hurricane Milton deaths
Six people died following suspected tornadoes Wednesday that ripped through Spanish Lakes County Club Village and other areas near Lakewood Park in northern Fort Pierce, officials announced Thursday morning.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sheriff Keith Pearson confirmed the fatalities Thursday. The sixth victim was discovered Thursday morning, Pearson said. No other details were provided.
Volusia County Hurricane Milton deaths
"As of right now, we can confirm four fatalities," Volusia County Emergency Management Director Clint Mecham said at a press conference Thursday afternoon. "Two of those were due to trees falling on their residences. One was a cardiac issue that EMS just could not get to in time, and another one was an issue, probably cardiac, that occurred while they were boarding up their home."
The two deaths from falling trees included a person in Ormond Beach who died when a tree fell through a roof, according to Volusia Emergency Management Director Clint Mecham. Officials have not released the victim's identity.
Port Orange Mayor Don Burnette said a woman died sometime overnight when a tree fell on her mobile home off Madeline Avenue west of Nova Road.
“I hate to report bad news like this but this underscores how serious this hurricane was,” he said.
Blake Fontenay, Adam L. Neal, Jon Santucci, Treasure Coast Newspapers; Clayton Park, The Daytona Beach News-Journal contributed to this story.
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