NAPLES, Fla. – Today, Senator Rick Scott received a briefing from National Hurricane Center (NHC) Director Dr. Michael Brennan on major Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast tonight. Ahead of Milton’s landfall, Senator Scott has had daily calls with the NHC to receive the latest updates on Hurricane Milton and traveled along Florida’s Gulf Coast to receive briefings from sheriffs, local law enforcement leaders and emergency management officials in Hillsborough County, Sarasota County and Lee County, urging families to make a plan ahead of the storm, evacuate if asked to do so, and stay safe.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Hurricane Milton will make landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast tonight as a major and incredibly dangerous and deadly storm. NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE FINAL PREPARATIONS, HUNKER DOWN AND KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE. I spoke with NHC Director Dr. Michael Brennan this morning and the outlook for this storm is expected to be nothing short of catastrophic. Communities along our Gulf Coast, especially those in the Tampa Bay area from Hillsborough County down through, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties will see devastating and unsurvivable storm surge up to 15 feet. Hurricane Milton is expected to retain hurricane strength as it moves across our state, bringing intense flooding, torrential rain, and widespread power outages to not only these coastal counties but across Central Florida and along much of Florida’s east coast. My wife, Ann, and I have evacuated inland because our home is in a mandatory evacuation zone and I pray that all Floridians under these orders have done the same. No one should die in this storm, but staying alive requires you to make smart decisions. Emergency responders cannot come save you once the winds start and conditions begin to deteriorate. If you did not evacuate and are having second thoughts you only have an hour or two to get to a shelter so GET OUT NOW. As I always say: we can rebuild a house, but we cannot rebuild a life. Do not let Hurricane Milton kill you by venturing out during the storm, operating a generator inside your home, touching downed power lines, or driving through standing water.

“After this storm passes, Florida will rebuild, recover and emerge stronger than ever before. I will continue to stay in constant contact with local, state and federal officials to make sure Florida has every resource we need to respond and recover, and that those resources and assistance are deployed immediately after the storm. Please stay safe and pray for our state. Floridians are resilient and we will get through this together.”

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Senator Scott has been in constant contact with state leaders, mayors, sheriffs and police chiefs, emergency management officials and energy companies in communities throughout the state that are expecting impacts from Hurricane Milton to ensure they have the needed resources as they prepare for and respond to the storm. Senator Scott has also spoken and written to federal officials, including FEMA Region 4 Administrator Robert Samaan and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to ensure Florida has much-needed access to federal resources.

This week, Senators Scott and Marco Rubio have written letters to President Joe Biden in support of the State of Florida’s and the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s requests for pre-landfall emergency declarations ahead of Hurricane Milton. Both requests were approved by President Biden following his receipt of Senators Scott and Rubio’s letters.

Yesterday, Senators Scott and Rubio also sent a letter to President Biden urging the direction of federal agencies to expedite plans to respond to potential obstructions at the Port of Tampa Bay, which receives more than 40 percent of Florida’s petroleum products. In their letter, the senators emphasized that this action by the federal government is crucial to expedite all requested measures to protect Florida’s economy and ensure a swift recovery. 

Senator Scott encourages all Floridians to visit his website at www.rickscott.senate.gov/hurricane-preparedness to get prepared today. See the latest on Hurricane Milton from the National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov or @NHC_Atlantic on X, formerly known as Twitter, and from the Florida Division of Emergency Management at floridadisaster.org or @FLSERT. Additionally, Senator Scott encourages those recovering from Hurricane Helene and are in need of assistance with a federal agency, including FEMA and the SBA, or any other federal issue to contact his office at www.rickscott.senate.gov/contact/casework.

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