Tampa's Lt. Dan remains on the boat, although the mayor said he was in a shelter before Hurricane Milton

TAMPA, Fla. – A man who gained notoriety for surviving Hurricane Helene on a boat docked right off Bayshore Blvd. still needs to take shelter before Hurricane Milton.

During Tampa Mayor Jane Castor's final press conference before the storm, she said that Lt. Dan was rescued from Tampa on Wednesday morning and was in an emergency shelter.

“If we let Lt. “If we can get Dan to go to a shelter, we can get anyone to do that,” Castor said.

However, FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia spoke with Lt. Dan, who was on his boat docked off Bayshore Boulevard. just before 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

According to Plasencia, he said he had been on the phone with people discussing his cryptocurrency and due to the wind direction, he planned to slightly adjust the angle of his boat. She added that although it was difficult to communicate due to the strong winds, Lt. However, Dan said nothing about leaving the boat when he stuck his head out of the boat.

TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 9: Tampa police are trying to convince a local resident who lives on his boat named Jay and goes by the nickname “Lieutenant Dan” to leave for his safety as Tampa prepares for the arrival of the hurricane Milton prepared in Tam on October 9, 2024

His ten minutes of fame came from Lt. Dan by a TikTok user from Temple Terrace who featured him in a series of videos before, during and after Hurricane Helene.

The TikTok videos have millions of views.

READ: Hurricane Milton Tracker: Storm weakens to strength. 4. Landfall in Florida expected as a “dangerous” storm

Before Hurricane Helene passed the west coast of Florida, Lt. Dan caught on camera saying to Hurricane Helene, “You want me?” “Come and get me,” before the storm's effects were felt in the Bay Area.

As the weather in Tampa worsened, Lt. Dan on his boat saw the water start to rise and it started to rain.

As Hurricane Milton formed and headed toward Florida, videos of Lt. Dan up.

Earlier this week, Lt. Dan that God told him to go out and get on a boat. He said he would ride out Hurricane Milton and not wear a life jacket.

READ: Video: Dog tied to pole on Tampa highway rescued as Hurricane Milton approaches

In a TikTok video, he joked that he had room for a lady on board.

The Tampa Police Chief visited Lt. Dan earlier this week and told him about the evacuation orders and the shelters the city was opening.

Hurricane Milton is a strong hurricane that is expected to make landfall along Florida's west coast Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

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