A 78-year-old Indian Harbor Beach woman found dead on her oceanfront balcony following the passage of Hurricane Milton is one of 25 fatalities across Florida attributed to the devastating storm. The woman is Brevard’s only death attributed to the storm.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement released the storm-related death toll after gathering information from local agencies. Hurricane Milton slammed into Siesta Key on the Gulf Coast on October 9 before moving west to leave the east coast of Florida. Some victims died in the tornadoes caused by the hurricane; others died from smoke inhalation, heart attacks or from falling trees.
The woman’s body was discovered Oct. 9 after the HOA president of Lantana Condominiums, 1851 Hwy. A1A, Indian Harbor Beach, asked police to conduct a welfare check on a second floor unit.
Officers arrived around 9 p.m., walked through the unit and noticed an open sliding glass door leading to the oceanfront balcony.
The unidentified woman was found lying on the painted concrete floor of the balcony, near the hurricane shutters. There were no signs of trauma or foul play. Strong winds and rain from Hurricane Milton battered the coast as the storm moved through the state.
Investigators said the woman had apparently moved plastic balcony patio chairs into her dining room and may have been trying to close her hurricane shutters when she slipped on the wet floor or suffered a medical episode.
Indiana Harbor Police said the Brevard medical examiner’s office dismissed the case, which appeared to be accidental or medical in nature. The woman’s family transferred her remains to a local funeral home.
Deaths attributed to Milton have been reported in the following Florida counties:
Brevard: 1
Charlotte: 1
Citrus fruits: 1
Hillsborough: 2
More: 1
Orange: 3
Pasco: 1
Pinellas: 2
Pol: 1
St. Lucie: 7
Sarasota: 1
Volusia: 4
JD Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. X, formerly known as Twitter: @JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Indian Harbor Beach woman listed among Hurricane Milton-related deaths
