Sarasota, Manatee take hit from Milton; leaders express relief it wasn't worse
State lawmakers in the Sarasota-Manatee area are both assessing severe damage and voicing relief.
After decades of near misses, the region took a direct hit from Hurricane Milton, which made landfall near Siesta Key on Wednesday night. But despite bringing Category 3 winds on shore, the region did not see the level of storm surge even as experienced during Hurricane Debby, which brushed past the region in August.
“At least from early reports from Anna Maria Island, the storm surge was not as bad as anticipated,” said Rep. Will Robinson, a Bradenton Republican. “But we are still waiting for reports from some of our low-lying areas like Terra Ceia.”
He noted that a large portion of the Anna Ma...
