Florida
Florida's Manasota Key utterly devastated after Hurricane Milton made landfall nearby
ENGLEWOOD, Fla. — Sand is piled up to the first floor of most homes on Manasota Key, a sliver of land off Florida’s west coast, where devastation is widespread.
NBC News, escorted by Charlotte County officials, got an exclusive look Sunday at the south end of the key.
The community, about 30 miles south of where Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday, sits across a bay from Englewood, between Fort Myers and Sarasota.
The key is closed to vehicles, but residents are allowed in on foot, some walking for miles with wagons to salvage what they can. Many are finding their homes gutted and full of sand.
This “old Florida” community consists of many homes right on the water that have been passed down from generation to generation. That’s the case for Kris Hleuka, whose grandfather built her home on Sand Dollar Lane. Now, sand fills the first story.
“This is my life history,” she said.
As storm after storm hits the state, Hleuka has watched her home be torn apart. For many in the community, homeowners insurance isn’t an option.
“After Ian, we completely rebuilt the house. I’m not doing this again,” she said. “We can’t afford insurance down on the beach like this.”
Residents on the key are in “shock and mourning” that their little piece of paradise is gone, said Brenda Kreuger, a friend of Hleuka’s who lives in Englewood.
Jay and Pam Hager have owned a timeshare at the Sea Oats Beach Club for decades. The property, once an oasis on a quiet strip of the Gulf, is now buried under 4 feet of sand.
“It seems like we’re in a movie,” Jay Hager said. “It just doesn’t seem real. I’ve been coming here for 40 years and never seen anything close to this.”
Officials are working to remove the piles of sand that have buried the roads so they can reopen Manasota Key.
“Houses were decimated. They’re gone into the Gulf, and we didn’t have that with Helene,” said Ben Bailey, community development director for Charlotte County.
“I have never seen anything like this. Most people living here that are alive have never seen anything like this, either,” Bailey said.
John Elias, public works director for Charlotte County, said the storm “certainly, literally, has changed the geography” of the key.
More than 750,000 Floridians are still without power five days after Milton made landfall, according to PowerOutage.us.
At least 24 people have died as a result of the storm, according to an NBC News count of confirmed deaths.
President Joe Biden toured the damage in St. Petersburg on Sunday and promised $600 million for restoration after hurricanes Milton and Helene, with nearly $100 million of that going toward improvements to Florida’s power system.
Rebecca Cohen contributed.
FORT MYERS, Fla. – An injured manatee and her calf are recovering after authorities on a boat rescued them from the Orange River near Fort Myers on Thursday.
What we know:
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said its Marine Unit, Advanced Technology Support Unit, drone pilots and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped in saving the pair after the mother was found hurt in the water and in need of medical attention.
READ: Missing Florida man found stuck in mud without food or water for days: PFD
Video shows authorities pulling the frantic manatees safely onto the boat in netting before taking them to shore.
Courtesy: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Both animals will be taken to ZooTampa for evaluation and medical care.
What we don’t know:
LCSO did not say the extent of the mother’s injuries.
By the numbers:
As of Feb. 20, there have been 85 manatee deaths across Florida in 2026, according to the FWC. Last year reportedly saw a total of 632 manatee deaths.
Dig deeper:
Earlier this month, the FWC began investigating a spike in manatee deaths, specifically in Lee County, where officials say 25 were found dead within a week.
READ: FWC investigating spike in manatee deaths over the past week
The FWC believes these manatee deaths could be from several factors: cold stress, a lack of seagrass and polluted waterways.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Trump threatens tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba
Trump warned Cuba to reach an agreement with the U.S. after signing an executive order to impose tariffs on countries that supply the island with oil.
HAVANA (Reuters) – Four people were killed and seven others were wounded on Feb. 25 after a speedboat from Florida entered Cuban waters and opened fire on Cuban forces, who returned fire, Cuba’s Interior Ministry said.
All four dead were aboard the Florida-based speedboat, and another six were injured, Cuba said. In addition, the Cuban commander of border patrol boat was wounded, Cuba said.
The wounded foreign attackers were evacuated and received medical attention, Cuba said.
The incident took place amid heightened tension between Cuba and the United States, which has blocked virtually all oil shipments to the island, increasing pressure on the Communist-run government. American forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on Jan. 3, removing a key Cuban ally from power.
“Faced with the current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protecting its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar for the Cuban state in safeguarding its sovereignty and stability in the region,” the Cuban statement said.
Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Havana.
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