Milton is on track to deal a devastating blow to Florida’s vibrant Tampa Bay region, potentially delivering the first direct hit from a hurricane in a century just as residents and businesses were beginning to pick up the pieces from Helene.
The area, which includes the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, is home to more than 3 million people, a major U.S. military base, Florida’s largest port, beaches that attract tens of millions of tourists a year and a state university with nearly 50,000 students.
It’s also a hub of business in the