BOSTON (WHDH) – By air and by car, many Florida residents were evacuating their homes Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Milton and its expected landfall near Tampa. 

While some fled a short distance inland, others traveled further from the path of the storm. 

“It is very scary,” said Jeremy Yee after flying into Logan International Airport in Boston. 

After exploding to Category Five status on Monday, Milton weakened slightly overnight. The storm had peak sustained winds of 145 miles-per-hour as of 7 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. 

Though it is expected to weaken further before landfall, Milton is still forecast to hit Florida as a major hurricane late Wednesday night early Thursday morning, causing significant storm surge, heavy rain, and wind damage. 

Facing another major storm just weeks after Hurricane Helene lashed the area late last month, Yee said the mood in Tampa is tense. 

“It’s like they can’t catch a break,” Yee said. “So, they’re feeling pretty hopeless.”

Milton could be the strongest hurricane to hit Tampa since 1921. In warnings, public officials including Mayor Jane Cassidy have not minced words, warning of deadly conditions for people who stay in vulnerable parts of the city. 

“The fact that she used those words in an official statement, she’s serious,” Yee said. 

With his feet now safely on the ground in Boston, Yee said he was not going to take any chances by staying home. 

“Things are replaceable,” he said. “Lives are not.” 

Though Milton was situated roughly 545 miles southwest of Tampa Tuesday, air travelers trying to evacuate were already dealing with flight disruptions. 

Barbie Gonsalves said she was scheduled to fly on Wednesday. When her flight got canceled, she raced to the airport to get on a Boston-bound plane with her elderly mother and her nine-year-old son. 

“We were able to sneak out on another plane,” she said.

“We didn’t really have an option,” she continued. “As soon as there was potential of our flight getting canceled, my best option was to get us to the airport as quick as possible.” 

Gonsalves said there were many other people “on the same boat.” 

Like Yee, Gonsalves landed in Boston early Tuesday morning. At least five other flights from Tampa to Boston had been scheduled with arrival times between 10:30 a.m. and 9:37 p.m., according to Massport. 

Tampa International Airport suspended operations at 9 a.m., though, forcing airlines to cancel all flights. 

Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in Sarasota, Florida is scheduled to suspend operations at 4 p.m.

With flight cancellations increasingly making evacuation by plane untenable, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis has assured residents they don’t have to travel far to stay safe. 

“You can evacuate tens of miles; you do not have to evacuate hundreds of miles away,” he said at a Tuesday morning press conference, according to the Associated Press. “You do have options.”

This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates on Hurricane Milton.

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PITTSBURGH, PA — The Penguins have not made the playoffs for the past two seasons, but they hope to change that in the 2024-25 campaign that begins Wednesday against the New York Rangers at PPG Paints Arena.

The Pens announced Tuesday that they have finalized their opening night roster, which will consist of 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies.

The forwards are Noel Acciari, Anthony Beauvillier, Michael Bunting, Sidney Crosby, Lars Eller, Cody Glass, Kevin Hayes, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Drew O’Connor, Jesse Puljujarvi, Valtteri Puustinen and Rickard Rakell.

The defensemen are Ryan Graves, Matt Grzelcyk, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Marcus Pettersson, Ryan Shea and Jack St. Ivany.

The goaltenders are Joel Blomqvist and Tristan Jarry.

Forwards Blake Lizotte and Bryan Rust, as well as goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic have been placed on Injured Reserve. In addition, forward Matt Nieto has been placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve and forward Vasily Ponomarev has been designated as Injured Non-Roster.

Forward Boko Imama and defenseman Sebastian Aho were assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.

Seventeen of the 22 players dressed for the Penguins last year. They are joined by newcomers Beauvillier (free agent), Glass (trade with Nashville, Hayes (trade with St. Louis), McGroarty (trade with Winnepeg) and Grzelcyk (free agent).

A Utah company has agreed to shut down after the attorney general of Connecticut accused the business of selling parts for privately made “ghost guns” — which lack serial numbers, are harder for authorities to trace and are illegal in the southern New England state.

AR Industries LLC, based in Orem, will cease operations after the settlement that Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced last week.

The company will dissolve, surrender its internet domain and deactivate its social media accounts, Tong announced in a news release. The company’s owner must report to Tong’s office annually whether they or “any agents of AR” have formed any business to start selling “ghost gun” parts again — and, if they do, the owner must attest that the business is obeying Connecticut law.

If any associates are found to be selling such parts illegally, or otherwise violating the terms of the settlement, the state of Connecticut would enforce a $205,000 penalty, the release said.

AR Industries holds a business license issued by the city of Orem, categorized as selling “dry goods and general merchandise.” The company’s address, according to the city, is a house in a residential area. A message left Monday to the company’s phone, as listed on its business license, was not immediately returned.

What appeared to be the company’s URL was not functioning as of last weekend, and there was no trace of the company on major social media platforms.

“Ghost guns” are often made from kits available online, and “typically sold and assembled without traceable serial numbers,” according to a report from the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a nonprofit that advocates for gun safety. They are often purchased without a background check.

Tong in a statement said the guns “exist to evade law enforcement and registration.”

“AR Industries shipped these crime guns into Connecticut in violation of our laws and we are shutting them down,” Tong’s statement continued. “Our message to ghost gun dealers is clear — if you ship to Connecticut, we will find you and hold you accountable.”

AR Industries is the third company with whom the Connecticut attorney general’s office has reached a settlement, the news release said. A Florida “ghost gun” dealer also dissolved, while a North Carolina company reached a $425,000 settlement, which includes strong disclaimers and controls to prevent sales in Connecticut. A legal case against a fourth company remains pending.

Connecticut is one of 14 states that has passed laws to regulate the sale and manufacturing of “ghost gun” components, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Utah is not among those states.

The settlement between Connecticut and the Utah company came just days before the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a case involving federal regulation of “ghost guns.”

The New York Times reported that the high court on Tuesday is scheduled to consider a challenge to a 2022 rule change by the Biden administration that would require vendors who sell partially finished frames of Glock-style handguns — the pistol grip and the firing mechanism — to treat them like complete firearms, subject to federal regulations.