A Florida man nicknamed Lieutenant Dan blatantly refused to leave his boat in Tampa Bay while Hurricane Milton was expected to make landfall today.
The man, who calls himself Joe Sea, spoke from his 20-foot boat in Tampa Harbor as strong winds blew overhead.
Joe, in a video now circulating widely online, explains that “God” told him to “come here and take a boat.” He backs me up. I’m in good shape. I’m not worrying.
Joe said he won’t be wearing a life jacket and can swim “in circles” if necessary while trying to “hold on” in the bay.
‘The water is going to enter, it is going to rise. If you are on land, it will flood. You run the risk of drowning. “I’m on a boat, so the boat rises with the water… it really is the safest place to be, on my boat.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) warned this week that people should not remain on board or venture into difficult conditions, as it puts “their lives and the lives of potential first responders” at risk.
Joe, nicknamed ‘Lt Dan’ after the Forrest Gump character, said he will stay on his boat
Terrence said police had tried to convince him to move on before Milton’s arrival.
Joe said he won’t be wearing a life jacket and has put his faith in God to keep him alive.
Joe has amassed around 100,000 followers on TikTok while sharing his sea voyages as “Lieutenant Dan, Thug.”
Fans have offered to sponsor him for a motel room or offered him shelter in other states.
But Joe remains convinced that he is better off at sea.
‘Tampa Terrence’ has documented Joe’s stance against Hurricane Milton and created a GoFundMe will support him to buy a new boat ‘to sail the seas’.
The fundraiser has raised more than $17,500 so far.
Terrence also said that he had offered Joe to stay at a hotel near the Tampa airport in his most recent video, posted yesterday afternoon, but that he was “still hesitant to go.”
“God has my back,” Joe reiterates in another video. ‘I’m doing what he told me to do. He didn’t send anyone to get me out of here.
“And anyone who tries to get me out of here is not from God because God told me this was the right thing for me and that’s why I’m doing it.”
Tampa police have been among those urging Joe to move on and seek shelter.
The video showed what Terrence claimed was the Tampa Police Chief telling ‘Dan’ to leave.
The sailor is told they have “nine shelters open” in a video shared yesterday.
He seems to protest, although the wind interrupts the audio.
The ‘Boss’ says ‘it will be tomorrow morning’, to which Joe replies ‘Well, I’ll see you then.’
For now, Lt. Dan remains on the 20-foot sailboat, despite offers of shelter elsewhere.
GOES-19 captured a high-resolution image of Hurricane Milton
Joe continues to upload videos playing with filters and still photos with music overlaid.
Fans offer their best wishes and say they hope he stays safe during the storm.
He has also spoken to reporters about his plans to ride out the storm on his boat.
“The more you look at it, the more you learn,” he told The Weather Channel.
“I’m confident in my ability to ride this out unless it becomes a situation and I end up in Kansas.”
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall Wednesday night, bringing winds of up to 175 mph and flooding 15 feet high in what could be one of the worst storms to hit Florida in more than a century.
Milton has “the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes ever recorded in west-central Florida,” according to NHC forecasters.
Millions of people have already been evacuated from their homes and large shelters have been set up in stadiums and soccer venues across the state.
School districts were closed, businesses were shuttered and mandatory evacuation orders were issued for some six million people as weather officials declared the storm could be one of the most destructive hurricanes ever recorded.
Florida is still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which devastated the state in late September.
As of October 6, 227 people were reported dead from the storm.
The latest satellite image of Hurricane Milton captured at 7:51 UTC (8:51 UK BST) as it approaches Florida on Wednesday
Members of the Florida Army National Guard check for remaining residents in nearly deserted Bradenton Beach on Oct. 8.
Hundreds of trucks of linemen showed up in The Villages, Florida, on Tuesday. Thousands of trucks will be prepared and deployed after Hurricane Milton hits Florida. Hurricane Milton 2024
Helene was also the deadliest since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Donald Trump came under fire for spreading misinformation after he accused the government of withholding aid from Republican hurricane victims.
Kamala Harris responded by saying she was “extraordinarily irresponsible” for the claims.
FEMA also disputed his claims, warning that the misinformation was “extremely harmful” and adding that they believed his claims had deterred some survivors from seeking help.
Trump also said that “Kamala spent all of her Fema money (billions of dollars) on housing for illegal immigrants,” a claim that came quickly. discredited.