A man who became famous for weathering Hurricane Helene aboard his boat near Bayshore Blvd. has not yet sought shelter as Hurricane Milton approaches. During her final press conference before the storm, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor reported that Lt. Dan had been rescued and placed in a shelter.
“If we can get Lt. Dan to go into a shelter, we can get anyone to do that,” Castor remarked.
However, Lt. Dan was still on his boat, which was docked off Bayshore Blvd., when FOX 13’s Ariel Plasencia spoke with him shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. He mentioned he was busy discussing cryptocurrency over the phone and intended to adjust his boat’s positioning due to the wind direction. Despite the strong winds making communication difficult, Lt. Dan showed no signs of leaving his boat.
Lt. Dan gained popularity after being featured in a series of TikTok videos by a Temple Terrace user, which showcased his experiences before, during, and after Hurricane Helene, accumulating millions of views.
Before Hurricane Helene impacted the region, Lt. Dan was seen defiantly telling the storm, “You want me? Come and get me.” As conditions worsened in Tampa, he continued to stay on his boat as floodwaters began to rise.
With the emergence of Hurricane Milton, Lt. Dan reappeared in videos, asserting that he felt divinely compelled to be on the water. He stated he would ride out the storm without a life jacket, humorously suggesting he had space on board for a companion.
Earlier this week, Tampa’s police chief reached out to him to discuss evacuation orders and available shelters as Hurricane Milton, now a powerful storm, is expected to make landfall along Florida’s west coast Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.