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VOL 24 No. 2
September 6, 2023
Idalia swamps Island JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
Above, residential properties along Lakeview Drive in Anna Maria experienced significant flooding after Hurricane Idalia swept past Anna Maria Island. Inset, Idalia prompts an evacuation from the Island. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Much of Anna Maria Island experienced historically high storm surge and king tiderelated flooding, but the barrier island survived Hurricane Idalia mostly unscathed. During the evening hours of Tuesday, Aug. 29 and the overnight and the early hours of Wednesday morning, Hurricane Idalia passed by Anna Maria Island as a category 3 storm, far enough to the west in the Gulf of
Mexico to spare the Island from the worst of its wind damage and storm surge. On the Island, the hurricane produced significant flooding but minimal structural damage, electrical outages or disruptions of the water and sewer services provided by Manatee County. The storm produced no reported Island fatalities or injuries. A drive around the Island early Tuesday evening before the hurricane arrived indicated most residents and visitors had already evacuated or retreated
to the safety of their homes and almost all Island businesses were closed. A hurricane party was unfolding at Slim’s Place in Anna Maria and folks were still enjoying libations at the Sports Lounge in Bradenton Beach.
STORM UNFOLDS
While the storm unfolded Tuesday night, many Island residents shared information on Facebook. The Tuesday evening posts included notice of a structural fire in Holmes Beach, limited power outages and rising floodwaters.
The Bradenton Police Department posted that the Palma Sola Causeway on Manatee Avenue, one of the three roads that lead to the Island, was closed due to flooding. Early Wednesday morning, well before daylight, Bradenton Beach Police Officer Tom Ferrara posted, “Please stay off Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach. It’s impassable and very dangerous.” At 4:25 a.m., Lexi DeLeon posted, “Thigh-high flooding through Bradenton Beach. Waves are crashing at beach
entrances and flooding out to Gulf Drive. Both bridges are closed.”
THE MORNING AFTER
The Sun’s attempted trip to the Island at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning ended at the foot of the Cortez Bridge, where Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies blocked access to the Island while Bradenton Beach officials assessed the storm damage.
SEE IDALIA, PAGE 11
Cortez fishing village inundated by Hurricane Idalia BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com
CORTEZ – As residents and business owners cleaned up on Thursday following the historically high storm surge from Hurricane Idalia that flooded local roads on Wednesday, the recurring consensus was, “We got lucky.” “There was no boat damage (to the fleet of fishing boats). We lost a few boards on the dock,” A.P. Bell Fish Co. owner Karen Bell said. “We were very lucky.” Cortez is one of Florida’s last commercial fish-
LESLIE LAKE | SUN
Annie’s Bait and Tackle in Cortez sustained damage to its docks following Hurricane Idalia.
SEE MORE HURRICANE Idalia
photos. 11, 26, 27 Page 23 Anna Maria Island, Florida
The Island’s award-winning weekly newspaper
ing villages, hugging the north shore of Sarasota Bay. On Wednesday morning, its roads were underwater, but by that evening, the waters had receded and roads were passable. Before the storm, A.P. Bell workers had secured the fleet of fishing boats with extra dock lines. “Star Fish sits so high we had no water encroachment,” said Bell, who also owns the Star Fish Co. restaurant and co-owns the Tide Tables restaurant. “But Tide Tables got about 6 inches of water."
SEE CORTEZ, PAGE 27
OIL SPILL AT SEAPORT MANATEE
investigated. 3
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