This week marks six months since the Island began recovering from Hurricane Helene’s severe flooding—just days before it was struck again by Hurricane Milton.

On September 26, Helene’s storm surge inundated much of the Island with four feet of water, damaging or destroying homes and businesses across its three cities. Bradenton Beach was hit particularly hard, with numerous homes wiped out. Then, on October 9, Milton compounded the devastation, bringing powerful winds that caused further destruction.

Since then, most businesses have reopened, though some remain shuttered as repairs continue. Others have permanently closed.

The Anna Maria Island Moose Lodge in Bradenton Beach, heavily damaged by storm surge, is still undergoing repairs. However, its bar and social quarters are expected to reopen soon.

Many mobile home residents at the Pines Trailer Park in Bradenton Beach remain displaced. On March 28, the Pines Trailer Park Homeowners Association Inc. filed a lawsuit against the park’s ownership group, Pines Park Investors LLC, led by Shawn Kaleta.

Across the Island, hundreds of vacation rentals and lodging accommodations were badly damaged. While many have been repaired and reopened, some are still undergoing restoration. These properties are vital to the Island’s tourism-driven economy.

The storms also wreaked havoc on transportation, destroying cars, golf carts, and scooters. Helene’s storm surge left roads buried under sand, requiring extensive cleanup efforts. The hurricane also produced massive amounts of debris—both household and landscaping—that took weeks to remove, with Hurricane Milton adding to the mess.

Holmes Beach

Reflecting on the recovery efforts, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth called Hurricane Helene “the most challenging catastrophe” to ever hit the Island cities.

“One of my main objectives as mayor has been improving our emergency response and recovery plan. Our efforts were put to the test this past year, and I couldn’t be more proud of our city staff and citizens for all they have accomplished in the past six months,” Titsworth said.

She praised the public works, building, code compliance, and police departments for overcoming tremendous challenges and credited the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center and government leaders at all levels for their support.

As of March 25, Holmes Beach Director of Development Services Chad Minor reported that the city had issued over 2,000 post-hurricane building permits and 44 demolition permits, with the majority directly related to hurricane recovery.

Anna Maria

Anna Maria also suffered extensive damage from Helene and Milton. The storms destroyed the privately owned Rod & Reel Pier and washed away a large section of the city-owned Anna Maria City Pier walkway. While engineering work for a new City Pier walkway is underway, there is no timeline for construction.

The Anna Maria Post Office remains displaced, operating from a large trailer at City Pier Park while repairs continue at its permanent location.

Looking back on the past six months, Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short expressed optimism about the Island’s progress.

“Almost every business that chose to reopen is back, and most major repair work is complete, aside from City Pier. Now, we’re tackling smaller projects,” Short said.

He acknowledged the challenges property owners still face in completing repairs and renovations but remains hopeful: “Every day, we see progress. I look forward to the day when Helene and Milton are simply part of a ‘do you remember’ conversation.”

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(Image credit: Joe Hendricks/Anna Maria Sun)

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