‘I’m fine’: Tampa’s ‘Lt. Dan’ survives Hurricane Milton on his boat
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TAMPA, Fla. (NewsNation) — A Tampa, Florida, man who goes by the nickname “Lt. Dan” and who went viral on social media for refusing to evacuate his boat ahead of Hurricane Milton has survived the storm.
NewsNation’s Brian Entin went to check on him late Wednesday night after the storm had swept through.
“I’m fine,” he told Entin.
Lt. Dan, whose real name is Joseph Malinowski, went viral from videos posted by TikTok user Tampa Terrence, which gained a large following of people who were worried because he refused to evacuate the sailboat where he was living. Like the popular character from “Forrest Gump” who refused to leave his boat during a massive storm, Tampa’s Lt. Dan is missing a leg.
“I’m not going anywhere because the safest place to be is on a boat in a flood,” he said ahead of the storm. “We learned that with Noah. Everyone who stayed on land drowned. Noah and the animals lived.”
TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 09: Tampa police try to persuade a local resident who is living on his boat known as Jay and nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan,” to leave for his safety as Tampa prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Milton on October 09, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. Milton, which comes just after the recent catastrophic Hurricane Helene, has strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast and is expected to make landfall late Wednesday. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) 
TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 09: Tampa police try to persuade a local resident who is living on his boat known as Jay and nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan,” to leave for his safety as Tampa prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Milton on October 09, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. Milton, which comes just after the recent catastrophic Hurricane Helene, has strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast and is expected to make landfall late Wednesday. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) 
TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 09: Tampa police try to persuade a local resident who is living on his boat known as Jay and nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan,” to leave for his safety as Tampa prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Milton on October 09, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. Milton, which comes just after the recent catastrophic Hurricane Helene, has strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast and is expected to make landfall late Wednesday. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) 
TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 09: Tampa police try to persuade a local resident who is living on his boat known as Jay and nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan,” to leave for his safety as Tampa prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Milton on October 09, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. Milton, which comes just after the recent catastrophic Hurricane Helene, has strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast and is expected to make landfall late Wednesday. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Days before the hurricane, Malinowski rejected offers of help from people and was even visited by Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw, who asked him to leave.
However, the man continued to refuse to evacuate hours before Hurricane Milton was supposed to make landfall.
“You’re all robots,” Malinowski said. “You’re all sheep, following the masses.”
At a Wednesday midday press conference, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said Tampa police rescued “Lt. Dan” and took him to a shelter that morning. However, he made it back to his boat by afternoon.
“He is here,” Entin said. “He is definitely on the boat. We can see him. He keeps popping his head out, and I just saw his hand.”
Milton barreled into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after plowing across Florida, pounding cities with ferocious winds and rain, and whipping up a barrage of tornadoes. It compounded the misery wrought by Helene while sparing Tampa a direct hit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
