DeSantis announces plan to repair Anna Maria Island in Hurricane Helene’s aftermath

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced plans to restore Anna Maria Island’s main road two days after Hurricane Helene battered Manatee County as it stormed through the Gulf of Mexico.

The barrier island — a popular area that many locals call home and a world-renowned tourist attraction — is nearly unrecognizable after the Category 4 hurricane demolished roads, homes and businesses.

Helene piled up to 5 feet of sand along Gulf Drive and the island’s neighborhood roads. And the hurricane’s powerful, record-setting storm surge tore through doors, busted windows and crushed furniture.

On Friday, Manatee County Commissioner Mike Rahn described the conditions on Anna Maria Island as, “all bad.”

“Sand is blocking streets. Sand is in buildings. Sand is in homes,” said Rahn. “So it’s going to be a long recovery to be able to get back out there for citizens.”

In at least one case, the storm lifted an entire building from its foundation and tossed it down the street.

Pictures show hurricane damage in Bradenton Beach

The dunes that fronted the beach have been flattened. The sea grape shrubs that lined them have been uprooted and displaced as well.

Parts of Gulf Drive have been torn to shreds, with pieces of asphalt lying warped and disfigured like a scattered puzzle where the roadway used to be.

Numbers of the colorful beach bungalows that dot the island now look like shipwrecks of splintered wood, spilling out a trove of belongings caked in wet sand.

The insides of island restaurants are scrambled, with dining rooms and kitchens reduced to a chaotic jumble of tables, chairs and appliances.

The Gulf’s surge stripped away entire walls from dwellings. Now receded and calm, the water thrums gently in the distance.

But a full-blown recovery has already begun. Heavy duty equipment has cleared much of the road, and a plan is underway to install a temporary road in less than a week, DeSantis announced Saturday.

DeSantis announces Helene recovery plan for AMI

“The goal is five days. I always tell them to try to do better than that,” DeSantis said, highlighting the emergency repair contract. “That work is undergone. As soon as we saw the damage, we moved to get this done.”

Over the next several days, crews will work to install a temporary road that allows residents to navigate the island. DeSantis said the state plans to build a permanent road at a later date, but he did not provide a timeline.

DeSantis said he has already traveled to other parts of the state that have been severely impacted by Helene, but the amount of sand on Anna Maria Island is the worst he’s seen so far.

‘Mounds and mounds of sand’

“I have not seen this much sand in any other part (of Florida) that I have visited so far, so this is pretty significant,” DeSantis said.

He also offered encouragement for the residents, workers and visitors facing a lengthy recovery before they can truly enjoy Manatee County’s slice of paradise again.

“It’s going to take a lot of grit. it’s going to take a lot of determination. It’s going to require resiliency. It’s not easy, but it will (come back),” DeSantis said. “This is just too nice an area not to.”

Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue also pledged to support the construction project as Anna Maria Island recovers from Helene’s aftermath.

“We’re standing here on State Road 789 , which sustained significant damage from Hurricane Helene, along with just mounds and mounds of sand. One of our goals here at FDOT is to get this community back to normal as quickly as possible.”

As of Saturday afternoon, Anna Maria Island remains closed to visitors , but residents and business owners with re-entry tags are allowed to enter the island between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

An island-wide curfew is in effect, and the city of Bradenton Beach remains closed due to impassable roads, officials say.

Sign Up for Local Breaking News