Florida resident "Lieutenant Dan" recounts riding out Hurricane Milton on his sailboat: "I'm not scared of anything"
Joseph Malinowski, a 54-year-old Tampa resident known locally as "Lieutenant Dan," weathered Hurricane Milton aboard his small sailboat in Tampa Bay early Thursday morning. Despite the Category 3 storm's powerful winds, Malinowski was unfazed, describing the experience as "pretty mellow," even though his boat was repeatedly slammed against a harbor wall during the worst of the storm.
"I'm not scared of anything," Malinowski told CBS News' Cristian Benavides.
The hurricane center had urged Tampa and St. Petersburg residents to take shelter as "extremely dangerous hurricane-force winds" swept through the region, but Malinowski refused to evacuate.
As the storm intensified, Malinowski recounted how the wind picked up, causing his boat to crash against a wall in the harbor. To prevent further damage, he cut his anchor line, sacrificing a $250 anchor now resting on the bay floor.
"I was getting bashed against this wall, so I went out and cut my anchor line to get away from it," he said.
Despite the danger, Malinowski remained calm, crediting his composure to his faith. "God told me to come here," he said, explaining that five years ago, he left Colorado and moved to Florida.
"I've been in Florida for five years, stuck on the East Coast," Malinowski said. "... I found this boat for 1,200 bucks. I bought it. I come to Tampa, and guess what? Can't flood, not today, not yesterday."
Malinowski compared Hurricane Milton to past hurricanes he had endured, including Hurricane Helene, which struck the area two weeks ago and he described as far worse. "They were calling for a Category 5," he said of Milton. "I didn't know what to expect."
Malinowski went viral on social media for refusing to leave even as millions of people in the Tampa area were placed under a mandatory evacuation. If another hurricane strikes, his plans remain the same: "I'm going to stay on the boat, no matter what," Malinowski said.