Inhalation death from flooded golf cart battery brings Hurricane Milton toll to 25 in Florida

(This story was updated to add new information.)

The death toll from Hurricane Milton continues to climb as more information is released. The Florida Highway Patrol reported Monday, Oct. 14, that 24 people had died in connection with the storm's statewide destruction and flooding and on Tuesday another death was announced in Charlotte County after a man died from smoke inhalation after a golf cart lithium battery exploded from storm surge flooding.

The number of deaths has fluctuated as first responders followed up on emergency calls that couldn't be addressed during the storm, and search-and-rescue operations reached more people in secluded or hard-to-reach areas. The determination about whether a death is storm-related is made by local agencies, the FDLE said, which can also change as new information about causes of death are discovered. Deaths have been reported in:

Hurricane Milton slammed into the state less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene, which caused 27 deaths in Florida and at least 228 altogether in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Here are the confirmed fatalities from Hurricane Milton as of Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Brevard County Hurricane Milton deaths: 1

The Indian Harbour Beach Police Department reported one death, the FDLE said.

Charlotte County Hurricane Milton deaths: 1

An elderly man died in a Manatee County hospital from smoke inhalation after a lithium battery from a golf cart exploded at his Charlotte County home due to storm surge flooding, according to the District 12 Medical Examiner's Office.

The medical examiner's office said a second case was attributed to natural causes and not Hurricane Milton.

Citrus County Hurricane Milton deaths: 2

A 46-year-old Inverness man died when he ran into a falling tree early Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. FOX 13 reported the unidentified man was traveling eastbound on East Parsons Point Road around 1:30 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the FHP said.

The FDLE had previously reported two deaths in Citrus, but as of Monday they reduced it to one.

Hillsborough County Hurricane Milton deaths: 2

In Tampa, a woman in her early 70s was found underneath a branch of a large tree that collapsed, the city police department said in a statement.

Based on the preliminary investigation, "post-hurricane restoration efforts were being done on the property, when the limb fell," police said, adding the death appeared accidental.

The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner also reported a death, the FDLE said.

Lake County Hurricane Milton deaths: 1

According to the Medical Examiner's Office for District 5, which includes Lake County, the death of Dennis "Randy" Danyi , 64, has been attributed to Hurricane Milton.

Danyi was found inside his truck at about 3 p.m. on Oct. 10. The vehicle was parked outside his mother's house in Fruitland Park, where he had gone to help with debris removal. The cause of death was heart disease.

Orange County Hurricane Milton deaths: 3

A man was found dead in his Orlando yard, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, which said in a statement it "appears the man stepped on a downed power line while he was clearing debris from Hurricane Milton."

The Orange County Medical Examiner also reported two other deaths, the FDLE said.

Pasco County Hurricane Milton deaths: 1

The Florida Highway Patrol reported one Milton-related death in Pasco County.

Pinellas County Hurricane Milton deaths: 2

Two people have been confirmed dead in St. Petersburg, according to St. Petersburg Police Chief Tony Holloway.

"We received two fatalities," Holloway said during an Oct. 10 press conference . "One was a medical, the other one was someone that was found in the park. We're waiting to get the medical examiner to give us cause of death."

Polk County Hurricane Milton deaths: 1

Bruce Kinsler, 68, a Fort Meade Maintenance Unit employee was with other crew members using a chainsaw to remove a tree blocking US 98 when he was struck by another Polk County employee who was driving in to help, according to a release from Polk County . Kinsler was killed and the other crewmember was taken to a hospital, the release said.

"The tragedy of this incident is compounded by the fact that Bruce Kinsler was killed serving the residents of this county," said Bill Braswell, Polk County Commission Board chair. "We ask a lot of the employees as public servants, and they respond to the call. For this to happen is just a tragedy."

Sarasota County Hurricane Milton deaths: 1

In Sarasota County, the Sheriff's Office reported one death, the FDLE said.

St. Lucie County Hurricane Milton deaths: 7

Six people died following suspected tornadoes Wednesday that ripped through Spanish Lakes County Club Village and other areas near Lakewood Park in northern Fort Pierce, officials announced Thursday morning. The victims have been identified as:

A seventh victim, Robert Mackenzie , 79, died during storm prep when he "was putting up his shutters when he fell 15 feet from a ladder in (Port St. Lucie)," according to a Tuesday, Oct. 15, email from Janie DuBois, office manager at the District 19 Medical Examiner's Office in Fort Pierce.

Volusia County Hurricane Milton deaths: 4

Four people have been confirmed dead from Hurricane Milton. The Volusia County Sheriff's office released their names Monday, according to FOX 35.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood confirmed on Sunday one of the lives lost was his friend Randy Snyder .

"My heart goes out to this family and each of the families who lost a loved one because of this storm," Chitwood wrote. "Certainly there are many who knew Randy well, loved him dearly, and are grieving his loss. I am just honored he would call me a friend."

Blake Fontenay, Adam L. Neal, Jon Santucci, Treasure Coast Newspapers; Clayton Park, The Daytona Beach News-Journal; Jim Ross, Ocala Star-Banner contributed to this story.