But the storm did not trigger the catastrophic surge of seawater that was feared.
Governor Ron DeSantis said the state had avoided the "worst-case scenario," though he cautioned the damage was still significant and flooding remained a concern.
5PM EDT: All tropical and storm surge warnings have been discontinued. This is the last advisory on — National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) #Milton. Make sure to use caution in the aftermath of the event visit https://t.co/HcKsYCsdec for more information. pic.twitter.com/3VxOmCDGv3October 10, 2024
The Tampa Bay area appeared to sidestep the storm surge on Thursday that had prompted the most dire warnings, though the barrier islands along the shore south of the city endured extensive flooding.
US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a White House briefing that there were reports of 10 deaths thus far, adding it appeared they were caused by tornadoes. At least 27 twisters touched down in Florida, he said.
In St. Lucie County on Florida's east coast, a spate of tornadoes killed five people, including at least two in the senior-living Spanish Lakes communities, county spokesperson Erick Gill said.
On Thursday, snapped concrete electric poles and overturned trucks in ditches offered evidence of the twisters' power.
More than 3.2 million homes and businesses in Florida were without power on Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us
Steven Cole Smith, 71, an automotive writer and editor who lives in Tampa about 10km from the Gulf Coast, rode out the storm with his wife. He said the wind shook the windows so hard he thought they would shatter.
"We really didn't have anywhere else to go," Smith said of their decision not to follow evacuation orders. He has a house in central Florida, but said the forecast for that area looked as bad as where he was staying.
"I spent yesterday scavenging for supplies, fuel for the generator, everything we'd need," he said.
"I have a chainsaw too."
A house sits toppled off its stilts after Hurricane Milton, on Anna Maria Island, Florida. (AP PHOTO)
Ken Wood, 58, a state ferryboat operator in Pinellas County, fled his Dunedin home on Florida's Gulf Coast with his 16-year-old cat Andy, after making the "harrowing" mistake of riding out Hurricane Helene two weeks ago in his mobile home.
They heeded evacuation orders and headed north but only made it as far as a hotel about an hour's drive away when he decided the roads were no longer safe.
"It was pretty loud, but Andy slept through it all," he told Reuters by telephone.
He is worried about his home but was awaiting official word that roads are clear before returning. Helene destroyed about a third of his neighbourhood, and the streets were still piled with rubble that could have become wind-driven projectiles.
Florida was still in danger of river flooding after up to 46cm of rain fell. Authorities were waiting for rivers to crest, but so far levels were at or below those after Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.
Most of the severe damage reported so far stemmed from the tornados, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency head Deanne Criswell, who was in Tallahassee on Thursday.
"The evacuation orders saved lives," she said, noting that more than 90,000 residents went to shelters.
In Fort Myers on the southwest coast, resident Connor Ferin surveyed the wreckage of his home, which had lost its roof and was full of debris and rainwater after a tornado hit.
"All this happened instantaneous, like these windows blew out," he said.
"I grabbed the two dogs and ran under my bed and that was it. Probably one minute total."
Rescuers bring local residents to safety from their flooded homes, in Progress Village Community. (AP PHOTO)
President Joe Biden, who postponed an overseas trip to monitor Milton, on Thursday said he believes the US Congress should come back into session to address disaster relief funding needs following the storm.
He said he had not spoken with House Speaker Mike Johnson on the subject of Congress returning. Members of the House of Representatives and Senate are not scheduled to return to Washington until after the Nov. 5 election.
The storm hit Florida's west coast on Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, with top sustained winds of 205km/h. While still dangerous, Milton had weakened from a catastrophic Category 5 status as it trekked over the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida.
