St. Lucie County spokesperson Erick Gill says officials believe up to a dozen tornadoes from Hurricane Milton touched down in the area with confirmed fatalities.

A storage building used by the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office was one of the early casualties of tornadoes that ripped through the Treasure Coast.

One of at least a dozen tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton tore through this low-income community on Florida's east coast, killing at least five residents. At least 16 people are known to have died across the US state.

At least 38 tornadoes spawned by Milton were reported in the state, causing multiple deaths. Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida's Gulf Coast Wednesday night, packing 120 mph winds as a Category 3 storm and bringing a new wave of destruction to an area already reeling from the ravages of Hurricane Helene last month.