Sarasota and Manatee: the counties where Milton came ashore

Milton's landfall on Siesta Key

Milton peaked over the Gulf at an estimated 155 kt and 895 mb, then weakened to about 100 kt, category 3, by the time its center made landfall on Siesta Key at 0030 UTC on October 10, 2024, the evening of October 9 locally. NHC's estimated landfall pressure of 958 mb rests partly on a 959.7 mb reading at the Sarasota airport, and the report says any major-hurricane winds that reached the coast were likely confined to a small area near Sarasota and Siesta Key.

The strongest sustained wind NHC lists in Florida was 79 kt, gusting to 93 kt, at a University of Florida tower at Venice Beach. NOAA's county entries add a 97 mph gust at the Venice C-MAN station and 102 mph at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

Surge was heaviest south of the eye. NHC analyzed 4 to 6 ft of inundation from Longboat Key to Venice and 6 to 9 ft from Venice to Boca Grande, with an isolated peak of up to 10 ft near Manasota Key. Local reports in NOAA's database note surge flooding west of Venice Gardens near South Venice and across Anna Maria Island.

Helene, two weeks earlier

Helene's center passed well offshore, but its surge did not. A USGS sensor on Longboat Key measured a wave-filtered storm tide of 6.68 ft above mean higher high water, and the Port Manatee tide gauge read 6.04 ft. NHC's damage summary says Anna Maria Island was heavily damaged, with emergency managers and media estimating that 90 to 95 percent of the structures on Bradenton Beach were destroyed. It counts at least 594 structures destroyed in mainland Manatee County, 1,699 more with major damage, and dozens of rescues in coastal Sarasota County.

Ian, 2022: the rivers rose

Ian made landfall well to the south, yet counties north of its track, including Sarasota and Manatee, flooded when the Peace, Myakka and Alafia rivers and Horse Creek crested at record levels. A stretch of Interstate 75 in southern Sarasota County was shut by Myakka River flooding. In Manatee County, NOAA recorded an 86 mph gust at the Sarasota-Bradenton airport during Ian.

Earlier, Hermine's 2016 surge of 2 to 3 ft on Sarasota County beaches caused an estimated $4 million in beach erosion at Lido Beach and Turtle Beach.

Tornadoes and thunderstorm wind

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 11 tornadoes in Manatee County and 8 in Sarasota County from 2016 through 2025. An April 2021 tornado in Bayshore Gardens caused major damage to a five-unit townhome, and in July 2018 thunderstorm winds tore sections of roof decking and shingles off an apartment building in Bradenton.

FEMA declarations

FEMA's major disaster declarations for Ian (DR-4673), Helene (DR-4828) and Milton (DR-4834) all included Sarasota and Manatee counties. Going back further, the 2004 declaration for Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley (DR-1539) covered both counties too.

Grants and licenses before the work starts

If your home qualifies for My Safe Florida Home, the program's matching grant pays $2 for every $1 you contribute, up to $10,000, and you must have grant approval before construction begins. Its eligible upgrades include roof-to-wall attachment, roof deck attachment and a secondary water resistance layer, but only where the program's initial inspection recommended them. The contractor has to be certified or registered with DBPR in one of the listed classes, and roofing contractors are on that list.

Sarasota and Manatee are separate counties, and a registered roofer's authority stops at the jurisdictions where it met local licensing requirements. Check the company on DBPR's licensee search, or follow our license check guide.

Roofers listed on the National Roofing Directory in Sarasota and Bradenton:

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly did Hurricane Milton make landfall?

On Siesta Key, at 0030 UTC on October 10, 2024, with estimated winds of 100 kt. NHC notes that official forecasts had consistently pointed to the Sarasota and Tampa Bay area.

How strong were Milton's gusts in Sarasota and Bradenton?

NOAA's county entries record gusts of 102 mph at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and 97 mph at the Venice C-MAN station, with gusts generally between 80 and 100 mph.

Can My Safe Florida Home pay for roof work?

It funds specific wind-mitigation improvements, three of them roof-related: roof-to-wall attachment, roof deck attachment and secondary water resistance. Each must be recommended in your initial inspection report and confirmed at the final inspection.

Which FEMA declarations followed Milton here?

Emergency declaration EM-3622 and major disaster declaration DR-4834 both included Sarasota and Manatee counties. The National Roofing Directory's Florida storm center tracks new storms.