Milton spares Florida 'worst-case scenario,' flood threat ongoing: DeSantis says
Hurricane Milton "thankfully" spared Florida "the worst-case scenario," Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday morning.
About 80,000 people evacuated to shelters overnight as the storm battered the state, DeSantis said.
Forty-eight people have been rescued by Florida National Guard search and rescue teams so far, and responders remain "laser-focused" on rescue efforts on Thursday, he said.
Rain totals reached a whopping 18 inches in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, DeSantis said. And the threat isn't over; flooding is expected to continue the next few days, the governor warned.
-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson