Tampa Bay's 'Lieutenant Dan' Refuses to Evacuate Sailboat as Hurricane Milton Hits Florida
Authorities have time and again warned Florida civilians in evacuation zones, to leave if they want to save themselves from the disastrous consequences of Hurricane Milton. Tampa Bay Mayor, Jane Castor, went ahead and told people on live television that they would die if they didn't evacuate, Newsweek reported. 'Lieutenant Dan' defied these orders and had a face-off with the hurricane in his boat, because reportedly God said so.
Lieutenant Dan
Tampa Bay man affectionately known as 'Lieutenant Dan' has become a popular figure on TikTok. Tampa Terrence (@terrenceconcannon) has uploaded 11 videos about the one-legged man detailing his conviction, that he is meant to be staying at his beloved sailboat. Despite the fatal-warnings, the old chap wants to see through the storm in his boat. The man's real name is Joseph Malinowski, and he adopted the nickname 'Lieutenant Dan' as a nod to Gary Sinise's amputee character in Forrest Gump, the New York Post reported.
Tampa Bay Mayor's Plea
Tampa Bay Mayor allegedly persuaded Malinowski to leave the boat and take shelter at a safe place, Newsweek reported. For a while, she thought that Malinowski had been convinced and made the announcement hoping that others also follow his steps. "The Tampa Police Department, this morning, just saved Lieutenant Dan," Castor said at a press conference. "He has been rescued, and he is now in a shelter as well. If we can get Lieutenant Dan to go to a shelter, we can get anybody to do that." Later she got the news that Malinowski had changed his mind, PEOPLE reported. "Our public safety team has had multiple conversations with this individual to persuade him to decide to go to a shelter for safety as the hurricane approaches," the mayor's spokesperson said. "At one point [on Wednesday], just before the press conference, he'd agreed to leave his boat, however, it appears that he has not followed through."
God's Will
@terrenceconcannon Lot of people have been commenting this, so thought I would ask him. I have a hotel for him near the Tampa airport, but his is still hesitant on going. There have been many attempts from police to get him out of there, so hoping he makes the right decision and leaves 🙏
♬ original sound - Tampa Terrence
In one of the videos, Lieutenant Dan went into detail regarding his call to stay at his sailboat, despite constant warnings from the authorities. The man said he was simply following God's will. "God told me to come out here and get a boat, I came out here and got a boat," he said. "And everything that he's been telling me over the last few days is I'm doing the right thing. He's got my back. I'm in good shape. I'm not sweating it." Malinowski further added that he has no fear of the hurricane, because in his opinion the safest place to be during the disaster, was his boat.
Lieutenant Dan Is Safe
@terrenceconcannon Was there ever a doubt that Lieutenant Dan wouldnt make it?
♬ original sound - Tampa Terrence
Hurricane Milton has made landfall in Florida, and many had Lieutenant Dan in their minds. Tampa Terrence uploaded an update sharing that Lieutenant Dan had made it safe out of the storm. The old chap stated that the storm despite its ferocity did not damage him or his boat. The whole experience reinstated his belief that 'good people' still exist in the world. After his story went public, many people came to help him with his boat, something which he did not expect. In the words of Tampa Terrance, "Dan is still alive, guys. Dan is alive. He’s buzzing," the New York Post reported.