Sarasota County damage estimate over $440M from Hurricane Milton

Initial “windshield damage” estimates are in from Sarasota County staff members following Hurricane Milton. They caution, however, that data may overlap with Hurricane Helene, which hit the region Sept. 26, almost two weeks before Hurricane Milton made landfall Oct. 9 near Siesta Key.

More than 100 structures have been destroyed, officials say, with the estimated damage from Hurricane Milton totaling more than $375 million in unincorporated Sarasota County.

Here are the categories of damage for unincorporated Sarasota County:

• Destroyed: 103 structures
• Major damage: 878 structures
• Minor: 2,436 structures
• Affected: 4,699 structures
• Damage estimate: $375,560,905

Assessments are still in progress, Sarasota County officials say as of Oct. 18.

Municipalities within Sarasota County have reported some damage as well.

In the city of Venice, 19 structures were destroyed, officials say as of Oct. 21. Also, 250 residences had major damage; 1,108 had minor damage; and 1,896 homes were affected, according to City Building Official Derek Applegate. The damage estimate in Venice from Hurricane Milton is $57.5 million, according to Applegate.

In the city of Sarasota, officials say they are still conducting assessments as of Oct. 18. However, damage to city facilities alone is estimated to be $7 million to $10 million.

The city of North Port had 17 single-family homes and 45 manufactured homes sustain major damage from Hurricane Milton, officials say, noting an estimate of how much damage was caused is not available.

In the town of Longboat Key, the damage estimate from Hurricane Milton is $11.2 million, according to authorities.

The preliminary damage estimate in unincorporated Sarasota County for Hurricane Helene was $305,712,894.