Popular vacation spot on Gulf reopens after Milton to residents, but beaches still closed

Michael Moore and Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald on Oct 12, 2024

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MIAMI — Holmes Beach, a popular Gulf vacation spot off Bradenton, reopened to residents and business owners Saturday at 8 a.m.

Holmes Beach Police Department said in a post on social media that you must have a reentry tag issued by the city or proof of residency showing you live in Holmes Beach to enter. Police said they are not allowing workers at this time and reentry is meant to allow residents to assess their damages. The city has about 3,000 residents.

Bradenton Beach, to the south on Anna Maria Island, reopened Friday to residents and business owners. The city of Anna Maria, whose iconic pier was severely damaged, has not reopened to the public.

No beaches in Manatee County were open as of Saturday.

Holmes Beach now has water and sewage up and running, police said Saturday. But Holmes Beach, like much of Manatee County, is still without power. Police said they are working with FPL to get all lines clear and are working on getting debris moved and roadways clear.

Holmes Beach is on a boil water advisory until further notice.

Police noted that they had not seen any new storm surge damage on Holmes Beach from Hurricane Milton. “The surge was very minimal here,” Holmes Beach Police Department wrote on social media.

Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said in a statement that the area “fared much better with Milton than with Helene.”

The city’s storm surge was about 20 inches less than it was for Hurricane Helene, Titsworth said.

The majority of the damage, the mayor said, was to bayside docks, piers, boats and seawalls, as well as wind damage to roofs, facia, soffits, sidings and trees. The remaining debris piles from Helene “are mostly intact,” although there are a lot of trees and debris, making many roads inaccessible. She said there are also downed power and cable lines along many of the streets.

“Although the city suffered significant damage from the hurricane strength winds of Milton, I am thankful we were not subject to the catastrophic storm surge,” Titsworth said. “We will get through this. We are warriors. We are island strong. Stay safe.”