Hurricane Milton made landfall on Siesta Key just before 8:30 pm Wednesday evening as the Category 3 storm continued lashing the Gulf Coast with heavy rains, whipping winds while spinning off a string of tornadoes across much of the peninsula.

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Sarasota County around 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane. Just hours earlier, 7News spoke with residents on Florida's Gulf Coast as they got set to "hunker down" and ride out the storm.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital is prepared to ride out Hurricane Milton, the hospital's CEO says. "We are concerned about the many unknowns of a potential Cat 5 storm. But our facilities are hurricane hardened and constantly updated to meet current codes," David Verinder said.