Governor Ron DeSantis says Hurricane Milton recovery efforts are picking up

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Governor Ron DeSantis says recovery efforts are picking up in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton in Florida.

DeSantis spoke Friday morning at a news conference in St. Petersburg, which saw extensive damage as Milton hit the state's Gulf coast late Wednesday and early Thursday.

"There's damage and there's a lot that's going to need to be done," DeSantis said. "We did not get the worst case scenario, but we did get hit and we're going to have to work to bounce back."

So far, at least eight deaths are being blamed on the storm, and that number could keep going up.

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Power outages still widespread

DeSantis said about 2.4 million Floridians are still without power while 1.6 million accounts have been restored as of 9 a.m. Friday.

Officials with Duke Energy also spoke at the news conference, saying the utility expects to provide customers a timeline for restoration later on Friday.

Fuel concerns

The governor said there is fuel ready to be deployed, but power issues at critical distribution sites are delaying deliveries, according to Port Tampa Bay officials.

Rescue efforts

DeSantis said 1,600 people and 140 animals have been rescued through state and local collaborations. Rescue missions continue in several hard-hit areas.