Officials rescue man floating on cooler off Florida coast after Hurricane Milton

A man who was found floating dozens of miles off of Florida's Gulf Coast while clinging to a cooler to keep him afloat in the wake of Hurricane Milton was rescued on Thursday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Officials said an Air Station Miami 65 helicopter crew rescued the man approximately 30 miles off Longboat Key, a town along the state's central-west coast.

The man, the captain of a fishing vessel, had gone out to the boat early Wednesday to make repairs after it became disabled earlier that week approximately 20 miles off John's Pass, according to the Coast Guard. As he was bringing the boat back to port, it got disabled again, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard said they had been in contact with the man after he was reported missing around noon on Wednesday. Weather conditions had already started to deteriorate as Hurricane Milton approached Florida's west coast, and the Coast Guard said it instructed him to put on a life jacket and "stay with the vessel's emergency position indicating radio beacon."

The Coast Guard said it then lost contact with the man at 6:45 p.m. ET Wednesday.

"This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner," said Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady, Sector St. Petersburg's command center chief.

"To understand the severity of the hurricane conditions, we estimate he experienced approximately 75-90 mph winds, 20-25 foot seas, for an extended period of time to include overnight. He survived because of a life jacket, his emergency position indicating locator beacon, and a cooler," Grady's statement continued.

After being rescued Thursday, officials said the man was taken to Tampa General Hospital for medical care.

Hurricane Milton made landfall in the region Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm, bringing dangerous storm surge, powerful winds and heavy rain with it.

Due to the severity of the storm, some emergency services were suspended by officials across the state.