Manatee County Milton damage estimate tops $350M

12:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15

Nearly a week after Hurricane Milton hit the region, Manatee County staff members have completed their initial assessments of damages. Their estimate, based on "windshield assessments," is that damage tops $351 million in unincorporated Manatee County. 

Seventy residential properties and two commercial structures have been destroyed, officials say. The commercial structures are an office/warehouse space at 320 9th Street and a mail kiosk at 2943 Newbern Banks Drive, according to a spokesperson for the county.

Here is the breakdown of the types and extent of the damage in unincorporated Manatee County as of Oct. 15:

Residential:

• 70 residential structures destroyed
• 3,480 residential structures major damage
• 2,760 residential structures minor damage
• 5,610 residential structures affected
• $323,268,713 in residential damage overall

Commercial:

• 2 commercial structures destroyed
• 223 commercial structures major damage
• 78 commercial structures minor damage
• 193 commercial structures affected
• $28,143,776 in commercial damage overall
• The estimated residential and commercial damage totals $351,412,489.

The estimated residential and commercial damage totals $351,412,489.

Officials in the cities and on the islands are working on their own assessments.

4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14

Staff members in Manatee County have completed more than 75% of initial “windshield assessments” of Hurricane Milton damage and estimated nearly $245 million in damage so far.

The assessments include both residential and commercial properties in unincorporated Manatee County. Currently the islands and cities are beginning to conduct their own assessments, officials say.

So far, there have been 44 residential and two commercial structures that have been destroyed in unincorporated Manatee County, according to officials.

A breakdown of the types and extent of the damage as of Oct. 13 includes:

Residential:

• 44 residential structures destroyed
• 2,098 residential structures major damage
• 1,710 residential structures minor damage
• 3,293 residential structures affected
• $223,816,993 in residential damage overall

Commercial: 

• 2 commercial structures destroyed
• 181 commercial structures major damage
• 54 commercial structures minor damage
• 130 commercial structures affected
• $21,504,325 in commercial damage overall

The estimated residential and commercial damage totals $245,321,318. Manatee County staff members anticipate completing the remaining windshield assessments Oct.14.

Overall damage from Hurricane Milton is projected to be between $30 and $50 billion, according to an estimate from Fitch Ratings.