Tornado destroys sheriff’s office facility in Florida

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (Gray News) - A tornado associated with Milton severely damaged a structure at a sheriff’s office in Florida.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson said in a Facebook video a structure that housed the agency’s patrol controls was hit by a tornado.

“About 10 minutes ago, a tornado came ripping through here,” he said. “This is a devastating tornado.”

Pearson said no one was in the 10,000-square-foot facility when the tornado struck.

“Don’t worry all of our deputies are safe,” the sheriff said in a Facebook Live.

Video posted by William E. Lewis, Jr. on the social media platform X shows patrol cars crushed underneath the building’s torn-up roof and mangled support beams.

“This thing came through and took this out within a moment,” Pearson said.

Multiple tornadoes were reported throughout Florida as Milton approached the coast. By Wednesday evening, more than 130 tornado warnings had been issued by National Weather Service offices in Florida.

At least four deaths have been reported in St. Lucie County.

Pearson said first responders and their emergency crews worked through the night transporting people to safe locations. Search and rescue teams continued their work Thursday as crews also began cleanup efforts.