Drone footage taken after tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton revealed the sheer devastation caused in parts of Florida last week. Shared by Duke Energy, the video showed the destruction at the Lake Placid Solar Power Plant in Sylvan Shores, where a tornado tore through a field of solar panels. The footage, captured on October 10, depicted a clear path where the tornado had passed, leaving a trail of wreckage in its wake.
The solar farm, which powers approximately 12,000 households, was heavily damaged by the storm. Amid rows of still-standing solar panels, a diagonal strip of mangled metal debris stretched across the facility. This stark contrast between intact and destroyed areas highlighted the tornado’s powerful impact, which left behind twisted metal and rendered sections of the farm unusable.
Hurricane Milton Tornadoes Leave Florida Solar Power Plant and Communities in RuinsHighlands County, home to the damaged solar farm, also saw destruction elsewhere, including at the Tropical Harbor Mobile Home Park. According to reports from Fox 13 News, at least one person was injured when the tornado struck the park on Wednesday, just ahead of Hurricane Milton’s full arrival. The combination of the tornado and the hurricane caused significant harm to the area.
The broader effects of Hurricane Milton have been severe, with power outages affecting large swaths of Florida. As of Tuesday, Duke Energy reported that nearly 47,000 of its Florida customers were still without power. In total, over 400,000 residents across the state remain in the dark, while emergency workers struggle to address both power outages and gas shortages following the storm.