Anna Maria Island beach reopens to visitors after hurricanes, county says. What to know
Manatee County Government announced that an Anna Maria Island beach has reopened after taking significant damage from back-to-back hurricanes.
When Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the island, government officials closed the beaches. Those closures were extended after Hurricane Milton caused even more damage.
Starting this weekend, Manatee Public Beach is open to visitors, according to a news release. However, it is the only county beach that has reopened on Anna Maria Island, and parking is limited, county spokesperson Bill Logan said.
The reopening takes place about a month after Hurricane Helene stormed past Manatee County and forced the closure of the beaches on Anna Maria Island.
Visitors flocked to Anna Maria Island Friday morning to take advantage of the newly reopened beach. The Anna Maria Island Beach Café is also open for business.
Helene and Milton damaged key infrastructure on Manatee County’s barrier island, destroying sand dunes along the coast, ruining lifeguard towers and sending up to 5 feet of sand into local buildings.
During a visit just days after Helene passed, Gov. Ron DeSantis directed the Florida Department of Transportation to oversee the construction of a temporary road to repair Gulf Drive, which was destroyed by the hurricane’s record-setting storm surge.
While there’s still a long road to recovery, Manatee County officials say they’re excited to welcome visitors back to the beach and continue to work toward reopening Cortez Beach and Coquina Beach.
“It’s going to continue to open up as conditions allow,” Logan said.
Coquina and Cortez will eventually reopen to the public as well, but government officials say a timeline is not immediately available.
This story was originally published October 25, 2024 at 12:11 PM.
