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TAMPA, Fla. - Power and other utilities continued to slowly be restored across Florida on Friday after Hurricane Milton made landfall on the Gulf Coast, flooding neighborhoods and spawning deadly tornadoes.
The death toll increased on Friday, with at least nine people killed in the storm.
At its peak, more than 4 million customers were without electricity in the state. Milton also flooded barrier islands, tore the roof off a baseball stadium and toppled a construction crane.
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WATCH: Tropicana Field roof torn off, crane crashes into building
Damage in Florida is widespread as Hurricane Milton continues to push through Florida. Viral videos show the roof of Tropicana Field torn off by the storm.
It came just two weeks after Hurricane Helene brought devastation to Florida. But despite the most recent destruction, many people expressed relief that Milton wasn't worse. The hurricane spared Tampa a direct hit, and the lethal storm surge that scientists feared never materialized.
The storm tracked to the south in the final hours and made landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane in Siesta Key, about 70 miles south of Tampa. Damage was widespread, and water levels may continue to rise for days, but Gov. Ron DeSantis said it was not "the worst-case scenario."
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LiveNOW viewers share Hurricane Milton experience
LiveNOW from FOX viewers shared their experiences from Hurricane Milton with LiveNOW's Jeane Franseen.
The worst storm surge appeared to be in Sarasota County, where it was 8 to 10 feet — lower than in the worst place during Helene. The storm also dumped up to 18 inches of rain in some areas.
President Joe Biden on Friday afternoon was set to give an update on the federal government's response to the hurricane damage caused by both Milton and Helene across the U.S. Southeast.
Hurricane Milton tornadoes and death toll
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Hurricane Milton: Massive, deadly tornado outbreak
Florida officials confirmed deaths after a tornado outbreak, ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall. Nearly 100 tornado warnings were issued in South Florida, and "multiple" people were killed. Hurricane Milton made landfall as a category 3 storm, eventually downgrading to a category 1 storm. Milton continues to push through the state, and is expected to reach the opposite coast by daylight. Colin McCarthy of MyRadar joins Austin Westfall on LiveNOW from FOX.
Five people were killed in tornadoes in the Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, where homes were destroyed, authorities said.
Police also found a woman dead under a fallen tree branch in Tampa.
In Volusia County, authorities said two people, a 79-year-old woman in Ormond Beach and a 54-year-old woman in Port Orange, were also killed when trees fell on homes.
FILE - A family stands outside their house after getting hit by a reported tornado in Fort Myers, Florida, on Oct. 9, 2024, as Hurricane Milton approaches. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
A storm recovery worker was among those killed, authorities said. Bruce Kinsler, 68, was part of a Polk County "push crew" that began clearing roads before 6 a.m. on Thursday. A truck struck Kinsler as he and a coworker were trying to clear a tree that had fallen across the road as the storm passed through the area. The driver of the truck was a county employee who was arriving to join Kinsler for post-storm recovery work.
Speaking at a White House briefing, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said there were reports of as many as 10 fatalities from tornadoes, but he cautioned that the number was tentative.
At least 340 people and 49 pets have been rescued in ongoing efforts, DeSantis said Thursday afternoon.
Florida power outages decline, but millions still in dark
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President Biden gives remarks on Hurricane Milton
President Biden gives remarks on Hurricane Milton.
Thousands of utility crews continued to work around the clock on Friday. More than 2.28 million customers remained without power as of 12 p.m. ET, according to the tracker PowerOutage.us.
The majority of those still without power were expected to be restored by the end of the day, officials said.
Hurricane Leslie: Where it’s headed
Meanwhile, Hurricane Leslie was downgraded to a tropical storm and continued churning in the open Atlantic Ocean on Friday.
The storm was expected to continue weakening "during the next couple of days," according to the National Hurricane Center.