Sarasota County has issued mandatory evacuations for levels A, B, and C, which includes the barrier islands and downtown Sarasota. For those not evacuating, they’re doing what they can to stay safe and protect their homes. “We thought about leaving, may not make sense to leave now,” said resident Greg Volkov.

Hurricane Milton strengthened into a dangerously powerful hurricane on a path toward Florida population centers, threatening a 12-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay and setting the stage for potential mass evacuations less than two weeks after a catastrophic Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline.