The man who refused to leave his boat despite repeated requests by Florida authorities is named Joseph Malinowski. When officials asked him to get out of his boat before Hurricane Milton arrived, he said that his boat was all he had. After repeated requests, Lieutenant Dan finally agreed to evacuate the boat and it was towed to a safe location.
The man who refused to leave his boat despite repeated requests by Florida authorities is named Joseph Malinowski.
Lieutenant Dan Malinowski was seen in his boat in Tampa Bay. When officials asked him to get out of his boat before Hurricane Milton arrived, he said that his boat was everything.
After repeated requests, Lieutenant Dan finally agreed to evacuate the boat and it was towed to a safe location.
This was also confirmed by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor in a press conference. “This morning the Tampa Police Department rescued Lieutenant Dan.”
Terence Concannon shared his first video about him on TikTok, which has garnered millions of views. TikTok has opened a GoFundMe account to raise funds to give Lieutenant Dan a new ship.
For everyone worried about “Lieutenant Dan” – I just talked to him. His real name is Joseph Malinowski.
He says he is going to stay on his sailboat in the Tampa Bay. pic.twitter.com/UJWE7EAazt— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) October 9, 2024
Who Is Lieutenant Dan?
Lieutenant Dan lives on a houseboat in Tampa Bay and says he survived Hurricane Helene which hit Florida a few weeks ago.
Lieutenant Dan got his pet name from the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump.” Initially, Lieutenant Dan refused to leave his houseboat, saying the Almighty told him to buy a boat. But after some time, Lieutenant Dan evacuated amid the massive Hurricane Milton.