Florida Jail In Hurricane Milton's Path Not Evacuating Nearly 1200 Inmates

By
Hurricane Milton
A man clears debris left by Hurricane Helene from his home ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall in the middle of this week in Treasure Island, Florida on October 7, 2024. Florida's governor has declared a state of emergency on Saturday as forecasters warned that Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall later this week. BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images

As of Tuesday afternoon, Manatee County Jail has no plans to evacuate its roughly 1,200 inmates, despite state and local officials urging Florida residents to follow evacuation orders in preparation for Hurricane Milton's approach.

On Tuesday, Hurricane Milton was classified as a Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds reaching 155 miles per hour, just 2 mph short of Category 5 status, according to CBS.

A Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said Orient Road Jail, a facility located in mandatory evacuation Zone A, is transporting inmates to Falkenburg Road Jail in evacuation Zone E, which is equipped to sustain the storm, according to Florida Politics.

"We do not issue evacuation orders lightly," Manatee County Public Safety Director Jodie Fiske said. "Milton is anticipated to cause more storm surge than Helene. So, if you stayed during Helene and got lucky, I would not press my luck with this particular system."

The deputy also revealed that the jail hadn't previously experienced flooding to that degree before. In addition to the inmates, Deputies will stay at the facility throughout the storm.

Tags
Florida, Inmates

© 2025 Lawyer Herald All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Discussion
More True Crime
Man Sets House on Fire to Escape After Being Held

Mom of Connecticut Man Held Captive By Stepmom For 20 Years is 'So Proud' of Son's Daring Escape

Dylan Bish, 19

Pennsylvania Teen Claimed in Text to Neighbor That He's Killed 20 Women - And That She Would Be Next

Teen Crash_03182025_1

Horrifying Moment 3 New Mexico Boys Decide To Run Over Physicist Biking to Work Revealed: 'Just Bump Him, Brah'

Twins found dead

Georgia Firefighter Among First to Find Twin Teens Bodies on Mountain Arrested As New Details Leave More Questions Than Answers