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VOL 24 No. 51
August 14, 2024
Flooding main storm impact in Anna Maria Anna Maria fared fairly well during Tropical Storm Debby. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
Debby's damage
CINDY LANE | SUN
The sand dunes in Bradenton Beach resembled miniature white cliffs of Dover after then-Tropical Storm Debby caused the Gulf of Mexico to crash into the dune line for two days.
City cleans up minor damage following Debby Several fallen coconut palms were removed from Bridge Street and two finger docks required repairs in the aftermath of what was then Tropical Storm Debby. BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com
BRADENTON BEACH – City officials reported minor damage and flooding from Tropical Storm Debby on Aug. 4-5 before it became a hurricane, but said that the city fared well overall. Several of the coconut palms on Bridge Street toppled over during the tropical storm force winds and rain from Debby and were removed by the city. “We took out five, they were the ones that just could not hold,” Police Chief and Interim Public Works Director John Cosby said. “This was the last
straw for them. We made the decision that if they went down again because of the wind, they have to go. We’re going to put some kind of plant in there, but the five won’t be going back.” Mayor John Chappie said the trees will be planted elsewhere in the city. “Thankfully we didn’t have a lot of wind,” Cosby said. “We just got a ton of rain.” Ingrid McClellan, coordinator of the Scenic Manatee Advisory Committee, reported that several palm trees fell on the Gulf Drive medians near the Coquina Beach entrance. She noted that is an evacuation route for Longboat Key going north. “We just received a report from Manatee County that crews are onsite taking care of this item,” FDOT Landscape Architect Daryl Richard wrote in an Aug. 6 email, adding that the Alexander palms were restaked.
SEE BRADENTON BEACH, PAGE 19
SEE ANNA MARIA, PAGE 8
Storm leaves Holmes Beach without major damage Despite some localized flooding and power outages, Debby left Holmes Beach largely unscathed. BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
HOLMES BEACH – Debby passed by Anna Maria Island as a tropical storm, leaving Holmes Beach soaked, but not severely damaged. As the storm passed by on the west coast of Florida, it dropped several inches of rain and delivered gusty winds to the Island, leaving some streets with flooding and some residents without power. Though most power was restored within a day, some residents reported losing power for several days before police and code compliance officers stepped
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL at Anna Maria Elementary, in photos. 21 Page 21 Anna Maria Island, Florida
ANNA MARIA – Flooding and drainage were the primary issues in Anna Maria during and after Tropical Storm Debby. There was also some minor damage to the City Pier. On Aug. 8, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy and General Manager Dean Jones provided the city commission with a recap of the tropical storm’s impact. Murphy said most of the storm recovery work was finished, but there were still some pockets of flood waters and still some street sweeping to do. Jones gave a presentation that included photos of the floodwaters, the pier damage and some key takeaways that included Tropical Storm Debby producing 12-16 inches of rain in a two-day period, most city roads being at flood stage at some point and most of the flood water being gone in less than 36 hours.
The Island’s award-winning weekly newspaper
in to get electricity restored by FP&L. On Aug. 5, Mayor Judy Titsworth said that there was some flooding in Holmes Beach but the stormwater infrastructure helped to move water away from the surface to dry out roads and lawns faster. A tree fell in the middle of the Marina/Palm Drive thoroughfare, though police were able to remove it and reopen the road quickly. “We fared well,” Police Chief Bill Tokajer said, noting that there was still standing water in some places the day after Debby passed. He took to social media to encourage drivers to move carefully through the Island city and avoid driving through standing water when possible. Due to street flooding, Holmes Beach City Hall remained closed on Aug. 5 but reopened with regular hours on Aug. 6.
KALETA PARKING LOT closed,
opened, 'under review.' 4
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS barred
from ballot room as candidate. 3
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