Hurricane Nicole batters Florida with 75mph winds and heavy rain

Waves crash on the shoreline along the Jensen Beach Causeway (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

Hurricane Nicole has made landfall on the east coast of Florida, battering the state with strong winds, a dangerous storm surge and heavy rain.

The rare November hurricane, which was downgraded to a tropical storm shortly after landfall, had already led officials to shut down airports and theme parks and order evacuations that included former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.