The possibility of losing power after a storm is a fact of life in Florida.
Some residents can handle the possibility better than others.
And a Florida man committed this awful crime over his power being out from the hurricane.
Drunk Florida man shoots his dog after power outage from the hurricane
Hurricane Milton was the second major storm to slam into Florida’s Gulf Coast in two weeks after Hurricane Helene.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had a record number of linemen ready to go before Milton made landfall to begin restoring electricity as soon as it was safe.
Utility crews working around the clock had electricity restored at more than 97% of homes less than a week after Milton hit.
For one Florida man that was not good enough.
John Burgos, a 72-year-old from Rockledge, Florida had his frustration boil over at Florida Power & Light (FPL) for not getting power turned back on.
He was one of the millions of Floridians who were without power the day after Hurricane Milton made landfall.
Burgos began drinking that night and everything went downhill from there.
He decided to start firing off his gun in his house at 4:00 am.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey recalled the scene that his deputies arrived to find at Burgos’ home.
“He was sitting at his house about 4 o’clock in the morning. It was right after Hurricane Milton, Ivey recalled. “He’s all mad because (the power company) hadn’t gotten to him to turn his power back on. So, he starts shooting his gun in the house.”
The drunken gunfire killed the Florida man’s dog.
“That’s right. This (man) was shooting his gun in the house and shoots and kills his dog,” Ivey continued. “Now, if that’s not bad enough, he doesn’t immediately call 911. … No surprise here, but alcohol was involved in this.”
Florida man faces the consequences for his drunken rampage
Burgos wandered over to his neighbor’s house and asked to use their phone to call 911 because he thought he shot his dog.
He did not do anything to help his wounded pooch while he waited on his porch for help to arrive.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at his house to find the dog severely injured but still alive.
The dog was rushed to an emergency vet but succumbed to its gunshot wound.
“This individual is pissed off at FPL, so he shoots and kills his dog,” Ivey said. “He still shows no remorse for what happened. The only thing he said when he was told that his dog had died is, ‘Man, FPL made me do that.’”
Sheriff Ivey had no time for that absurd excuse.
“You’re an idiot. That’s what made you do this,” Ivey stated. “So don’t be blaming other people for you killing your dog…You were mad. You couldn’t control your emotions and you were drunk.”
Burgos was arrested and charged with animal cruelty, using a firearm under the influence of alcohol, and discharging a firearm in a dwelling.
He had the bars slammed shut behind him in the Brevard County Jail.
“That’s my favorite sound for somebody that harmed animals,” Ivey said. “Hear the door slamming in their face. That’s what I want to hear.”
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
