A tornado touched down in Sarasota on Wednesday afternoon as a storms rolled over Southwest Florida from the Gulf of Mexico, the National Weather Service of Tampa Bay confirmed. In a preliminary assessment, meteorologists say the tornado appeared to last about 45 seconds with wind speeds hitting 90 mph, and it caused moderate damage as it touched down. In a video captured around 2:15 p.m. and shared by the Sarasota Police Department, the apparent tornado can be seen churning along north of police headquarters with a significant amount of debris swirling in its funnel.
Police responded to the 2000 block of 10th Street in Sarasota for reports of damage. Images shared online by a FOX 13 news reporter show significant damage to a business in the vicinity.