On one side, Dustin Pasteur, vice president of Facilities and Construction, can be seen inspecting a 10-foot high section of the AquaFence. On the other, floodwaters from Hillsborough Bay lapped against the barrier. The surge from the storm reached seven feet.

As Hurricane Milton intensified on its path toward Florida's Gulf Coast, the strength of the system increased the severity of the storm surge forecast.

In the hours before Hurricane Milton hit, forecasters worried it could send as much as 15 feet of water rushing onto the heavily populated shores of Florida’s Tampa Bay.