Live streamer brushes off comments after filming himself floating down Florida river during Hurricane Milton

A livestreamer has addressed the controversy he received over a video he filmed during Hurricane Milton.

Mike Smalls Jr. filmed himself floating on a river in Tampa, Florida, during the Category 5 hurricane in an attempt to win a $70,000 prize.

Controversial influencer Adin Ross had offered creators on the livestream platform Kick the significant cash prize to track the hurricane as part of his ‘survival challenge’.

In his video, filmed on October 9, Smalls told his followers that if he reached 10,000 views, he would launch himself and his mattress into the water.

On X, viewers accused Smalls of endangering his life and rescuers to create content and make money. Speaking to the BBC, he acknowledged that his video was “controversial” and said he understood viewers’ concerns.

However, he added: “From a content creator perspective, people like to see edgy things.”

The creator revealed that despite his initial confidence, “The wind started picking up and I don’t know how to swim… so I had to grab onto the tree.”

Smalls made it through the hurricane safely, despite the dangerous experience. He added that he would do the stunt again “if the price is right.” Later in his first livestream, he explained that someone else had won the $70,000.

Speaking to the BBC, the Tampa Police Department issued its own statement about residents “ignoring mandatory evacuation orders” issued during a hurricane.

“If individuals ignore these warnings, they not only jeopardize their own safety, but also create additional challenges for first responders who work tirelessly to save lives,” police said. “Intentionally putting yourself in harm’s way can divert critical resources and delay vital rescue operations for others.”

In the lead-up to the hurricane, another influencer, Caroline Calloway, used her platform to tell her followers that she would not be evacuating her Florida home. “So if you’ve been following Hurricane Milton, uh, I’m dying!” she said in her now-deleted Instagram Story on October 8. “It would make landfall in the Sarasota-Bradenton area. I’m in Sarasota, I live on the water, it’s zone A, mandatory evacuation.”

Calloway continued to explain why she didn’t leave, saying she couldn’t drive, the airport was closed and her previous evacuation during Hurricane Ian was “traumatic.”

“Her entire street was flooded and we were evacuated by the US military after three days without power or running water,” the influencer said, recounting how she previously left her home to travel to her mother’s house during the last hurricane. “It was very traumatic and that’s why I don’t want to evacuate to my mother’s house because the last time I did it was the worst time ever!”

Two days later, she posted a photo of herself and her cat to her Instagram Story, confirming that she was safe and “alive” after Hurricane Milton.

At least 17 people have died after Hurricane Milton devastated parts of Florida, as the extent of the damage caused becomes apparent in the storm’s aftermath. Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane near Siesta Key in Sarasota County on October 9, bringing dozens of tornadoes, 28-foot waves, high winds, heavy rain and a devastating storm surge.

All wind and storm surge warnings for Milton have been discontinued after the hurricane left Florida’s east coast. The National Hurricane Center warned that “hazards remain” from damaged buildings, downed power lines and flooding.