More than 3 million Florida customers remained without power hours after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key Thursday night.
The hurricane marched across the state during the overnight hours before exiting to the Atlantic.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there was significant damage, but not quite the worst-case scenario some had feared.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor noted Thursday that the city did not have nearly the amount of storm surge as it had anticipated. Forecasters were concerned before the storm Tampa would get up to 10-15 feet of storm surge.
South of Tampa, in St. Petersburg, rain and wind was a big problem.
The roof of the Tropicana Dome, home of the MLB's Rays, was ripped off by hurricane-force winds. The stadium was in the process of being prepped as a staging area for first responders when the damage occurred.
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The Tampa Bay Rays said they were "grateful" to learn no one was injured by the damage to the ballpark. The franchise said it will assess the condition of the field over the coming days.
Other parts of the city were dealing with downed trees that fell on homes and cars. A crane also collapsed during high winds in the downtown area and hangars were damaged at Albert Whitted Airport.
Milton spawns tornado outbreak
Hurricane Milton spun up an unusually high number of tornadoes.
According to the National Weather Service, over 150 tornado warnings were issued in Florida on Wednesday. While not all of the warnings resulted in tornadoes, the National Weather Service noted that several twisters were considered large and dangerous.
Five people were killed Wednesday when a least two confirmed tornadoes in St. Lucie County, Florida, an official said Thursday morning.
What happens next?
It is expected that those in affected regions will be able to receive Serious Needs Assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover immediate expenses.
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The initial payments of up to $750 offered by FEMA are meant to serve to cover emergency needs in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster. More extensive relief for survivors is generally given on an application basis after a review process.
