Widespread flooding from storm surge begins on Fort Myers Beach as Milton approaches (2025)

Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina of pool deck flooding on Fort Myers Beach from storm surge this evening. Credit: Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina

Widespread flooding has begun from the storm surge brought by Hurricane Milton to Fort Myers Beach as conditions rapidly deteriorate on the island. The hurricane is expected to make official landfall in Sarasota County by 10 p.m. though the storm surge from the storm is already being felt throughout Fort Myers Beach.

The Pink Shell Beach Resort’s pool deck on Fort Myers Beach was completely flooded as of 7:30 p.m. and livestreaming feeds from the resort as well as the Margaritaville Beach Resort showed the island being overwhelmed by flooding from the storm surge.

Fort Myers Beach is projected to be inundated with eight to 12 feet of storm surge tonight. The surge will continue overnight into tomorrow morning.

Hurricane Milton is expected to make official landfall within the next two hours – as soon as 10 p.m. in and around Sarasota County, National Weather Service meteorologist Ross Giarratana said.

The storm surge readings in Fort Myers near the Caloosahatchee River were already approaching four feet by 8:00 p.m. tonight.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office posted a photo on their Facebook page of what appears to be tornado damage from earlier today. Source: Lee County Sheriff's Office Facebook page

The storm surge will grow worse later tonight as high tide hits after midnight in combination of wind speeds which could potentially reach 125 miles per hour for a Category 3 hurricane.

The hurricane is currently projected to make landfall around the Sarasota County area, Giarratana said.

Giarratana said peak surge will be late tonight into early morning as winds orient in a southwesterly fashion when the storm makes landfall a couple hours to the north though he said the location “is not set in stone.”

As of 8:00 p.m., Milton was about 20 to 30 miles off shore as a Category 3 hurricane, which had weakened from earlier in the morning and also quickened its movements.

“By tomorrow afternoon, we should see conditions stabilize,” Giarratana said.

Lee County also saw two possible tornadoes touch down today. There were several tornado reports in Lee County including one about five miles east of Pine Island.

The National Weather Service reported record or near-record tornado warnings issued today out of their Tampa and Miami offices. The tornado watches have ended for Lee County as the flooding now becomes the main danger.

Town of Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District Chief Scott Wirth said residents were contacting the district to inform them they have evacuated their residences so that their homes aren’t searched after Hurricane Milton. To contact the department, email info@fmbfirefl.gov.

“We expect the worst surge to happen overnight and hope to be going back in service sometime around daylight. We will go back in service when the winds and surge die down,” Wirth said. When we return to the District, we will focus on life safety and then on property preservation. We are receiving a lot of messages from folks in the community letting us know they are evacuated, and their structure does not need to be searched. This will help us minimize the number of searches that will be required. We had a few service calls before the storm but nothing significant.”

Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Andy Hyatt said much of the debris from Hurricane Helene was picked up though some streets were unable to be reached before today. Hyatt said the town was aided by three trucks sent by the town and county’s contractor Crowder Gulf through a county debris hauling contract the town relied on, as well as additional assistance since Monday from Andrew Sitework and town staff. Hyatt said contractors “did a really good job” cleaning up debris. “We ran out of time,” he said.

Town vehicles and equipment have been moved off island. Hyatt said the Times Square clock that has been moved from Times Square will be reinstalled by the manufacturer after Hurricane Milton. Hyatt said there were some bolts broken with the clock that need to be fixed.

Town staff moved equipment out of the town hall trailers, with some being put into the new town hall and others being sent home with employees.

Hyatt said 10,000 sandbags were given out to residents.

“We really feel good about how residents responded to the evacuation order,” Hyatt said. “It was a ghost town when we left.”

U.S. Senator Rick Scott gives update

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.

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.”