**Hurricane Milton Leaves Widespread Destruction and Power Outages in Florida**

Millions of residents in Florida found themselves grappling with power outages and widespread damage on Friday morning following the departure of Hurricane Milton, which had charged through the state before moving into the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane, which struck Florida as a Category 3 storm, caused extensive devastation, leaving at least 14 people dead and rendering neighborhoods flooded and homes destroyed. Notable damage included the roof of Tropicana Field being torn off and a crane toppling into an office building.

Despite the significant destruction, Governor Ron DeSantis remarked that Hurricane Milton was not as catastrophic as initially feared. During a briefing on Thursday, he mentioned that the storm had weakened before making landfall and that the storm surge was less severe than that observed during Hurricane Helene. Notably, Tampa experienced a reverse storm surge that pushed water away from the shoreline, sparing the city from severe flooding.

As of Friday morning, about 2.2 million Floridians remained without power, according to the USA TODAY power outage tracker. The west-central coast of Florida was the most severely affected area, with 483,225 residents in Hillsborough County and 460,544 in Pinellas County facing power outages. Additional counties reporting significant outages included Pasco County with 113,745 residents, Sarasota County with 152,471, and Manatee County with 129,181. On the eastern coast, Volusia County had 139,835 homes and businesses without power, while Polk County, located south of Orlando, saw 136,292 residents in the dark.

Restoration efforts, spearheaded by Florida Power and Light Company (FPL), are in progress and are being carried out whenever and wherever conditions are deemed safe. The company has already restored power to over 730,000 customers as of Thursday afternoon. FPL has deployed a force of approximately 17,000 workers to assess the damage, collaborate with local emergency responders, and expedite the restoration process. Restoration priorities include addressing the largest clusters of outages first to maximize the number of customers receiving power as quickly as possible.

Overall, while Hurricane Milton has left a trail of destruction, the less-than-feared impact and ongoing restoration efforts provide a glimmer of hope for residents as they begin to recover and rebuild.