Additional Coverage:
- Coast Guard video shows helicopter crew rescue man floating on a cooler 30 miles off Florida coast (foxnews.com)
A man was rescued after being spotted clinging to a cooler 30 miles off Florida’s central-west coast.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew located the man on Thursday. Video shows the helicopter approaching and a crew member being lowered into the water to assist the man in distress.
The Coast Guard had been in contact with the man on Wednesday but lost communication as Hurricane Milton approached.
The man was taken to Tampa General Hospital for medical treatment.
Milton made landfall on Wednesday night on Siesta Key, about 10 miles south of where the man was found.
As of Thursday evening, over 3 million people in Florida remained without power.