'The storm is here': Time to evacuate is over, DeSantis says

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida residents who have not yet evacuated Hurricane Milton should now "hunker down" and ride out the storm, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

"The storm is here," Gov. DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday evening from the state emergency operations center in Tallahassee, emphasizing it is too dangerous now to evacuate safely.

The northern eyewall of Milton has begun moving ashore and landfall is expected between 9 and 10 p.m. along Florida's west coast, according to the FOX 35 Storm Team.

As of 8 p.m., Hurricane Milton was 20 miles west-southwest of Sarasota, Florida, and 130 miles southwest of Orlando with sustained winds of 120 mph. The storm continued its movement northeast at 15 mph. The minimum central pressure was 954 mb.

MORE HURRICANE MILTON COVERAGE:

Hurricane Milton has weakened – from a Category 4 to a Category 3 storm – as it nears Florida's western coastline, but significant or even devastating storm surge is still possible.

While much of the western coast of Florida is under a storm surge warning, areas on the Atlantic coast are also under a storm surge watch or warning.

As Hurricane Milton crosses the Peninsula, it will spin counterclockwise and the winds have the potential to send water back towards Florida's Atlantic coast.

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