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Hours were modified at Publix locations throughout Manatee County on Friday after Hurricane Milton roared through the region.
To check a store, visit the grocery chain’s outage map .
According to Walmart’s outage tracker , the store at Lockwood Ridge and State Road 70 was the only location closed in Manatee County on Friday.
- Jason Dill
Milton breaks daily rainfall record
Hurricane Milton shattered a daily rainfall record for the Bradenton area.
The storm’s drenching rains produced 7.58 inches of rain at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport on Wednesday, the National Weather Service of Tampa Bay said.
The previous record rainfall for Oct. 9 was 2.2 inches, set in 1953.
The NWS has tracked rainfall amounts for the Bradenton area since 1911.
Milton produced several record-breaking rainfalls across Southwest Florida and the Tampa Bay area, including an all-time daily record of 18.54 inches in St. Petersburg. That broke St. Petersburg’s previous record of 15.45 inches set on Aug. 2, 1915, the NWS said.
- Ryan Ballogg
DeSantis to hold press conference in Bradenton Beach
Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to hold a press conference on Bradenton Beach Friday afternoon.
The press conference, scheduled for 12:45 p.m., comes less than two days after Hurricane Milton tore through Manatee County as a powerful Category 3 storm.
The beach houses on Bradenton Beach were severely impacted and Anna Marie Island, the popular vacation spot, is closed until Saturday morning, Holmes Beach Police said Friday.
DeSantis previously visited Anna Maria Island in September after Hurricane Helene caused devastating damage on the popular tourist island along the Gulf of Mexico.
According to a news release, DeSantis will be joined by Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and Adjutant General of Florida Maj. Gen. John D. Haas.
- Ryan Callihan
Restaurants start to reopen
First Watch plans to open two of its Manatee County restaurants at 12 p.m. on Friday as the area begins to recover from Hurricane Milton.
The locations opening Friday are at 7118 Cortez Road West, Bradenton, and 8306 Market St., Lakewood Ranch.
A First Watch spokesperson said other restaurants in the area are expected to open after power is restored.
“So if we’re able to open, and we have food, and we’re able to do so we’re happy to be serving the community right now, but many of our restaurants are still without power,” First Watch spokesperson Jenni Glester said.
The Barnyard is also opening Friday at 12 p.m.
The restaurant, with its signature Barnyard Betty gourmet chicken sandwich, is located in Gloryway Plaza shopping center, 624 Martin Luther King Ave. W., also known as Ninth Avenue West.
They’re open until food is sold out, according to a social media post.
The Sage Biscuit Cafe, a breakfast and lunch restaurant at 1401 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton, is open Friday, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Modern Chop Steakhouse, 1830 59th St. W. opens Friday at 4 p.m.
Restaurants that opened Thursday include Ed’s Tavern, 10719 Rodeo Dr., Lakewood Ranch; McGrath’s Kitchen & Cocktails, 8110 Lakewood Main St., Lakewood Ranch; and Danny’s Pizzeria, 7220 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. Danny’s Pizzeria is only taking cash and the phone lines remain down, according to a Facebook post.
- Jason Dill
Anna Maria Island remains closed
Anna Maria Island is still closed and cannot be accessed, Holmes Beach Police said Friday.
The popular island is expected to open Saturday morning, police said.
Manatee County officials announced Friday morning that water service is being restored to Anna Maria Island and parts of Longboat Key with a precautionary boil water advisory in effect for the cities.
“Please boil all water for drinking, cooking, and brushing your teeth until further notice,” the announcement said.
- Jason Dill
Some Detwiler’s markets reopening
Detwiler’s Farm Market announced Thursday night that the grocery store’s Palmetto, University and West Bradenton locations would reopen Friday at 10 a.m.
On social media, Detwiler’s officials said they would “keep everyone updated on our other locations and hope to resume normal business hours as soon as possible.”
-Jason Dill and Aaron Leibowitz
Over 60 percent without power
It’s been over a day since Hurricane Milton slammed into the Gulf Coast, wreaking havoc throughout the state, and over 60% of Manatee County is still without power.
As of 7 a.m. Friday, more than 155,000 power company customers in Manatee County were experiencing outages, according to Find Energy. In Sarasota County, nearly 140,000 customers were without power Friday morning, or about 46 percent of the county.
But that’s progress — around 80 percent of Manatee was without power Thursday morning.
- Milena Malaver
READ MORE: 60% without power in Manatee County as recovery efforts from Hurricane Milton continue
Better weather ahead for Manatee County
After a deluge of wind and rain pounded the Gulf Coast during Hurricane Milton, Manatee County residents will get some reprieve this weekend with better weather.
In Bradenton, Friday will be mostly sunny with wind gusts as high as 25 mph, but that is expected to slow down during the weekend. Saturday and Sunday are expected to be slightly cloudy but with wind gusts of 18 mph, according to the National Weather Service Bradenton forecast.
The county is no longer under a flood watch, but the NWS warns of high-risk rip currents through Saturday morning.
- Milena Malaver
READ MORE: What’s next for Manatee County’s weather after Hurricane Milton’s deluge?
Older Gulf Coast neighborhoods reeling
The wallop of back-to-back storms has taken a tremendous toll on some of the oldest Gulf Coast neighborhoods.
In East Bradenton along the Manatee River, Milton piled more destruction onto what Helene brought. Warped drywall, furniture and household belongings from Helene’s floods were still piled in front of many homes as the second hurricane in as many weeks approached.
Milton added to the chaos, sending trees crashing into homes and power lines. Trees that stood for decades lay across neighborhood streets, blocking them entirely.
On Thursday afternoon, homeowners worked to clear what Hurricane Milton left behind.
Residents who spoke with the Bradenton Herald shared stories about how the intense hurricane affected their homes. Some houses near the Manatee River were spared the invasion of storm surge and flood water. Others weren’t so lucky.
Amanda Birard, who has lived in the neighborhood for about three years, said a few inches of water got into her house, but she was relieved that Bradenton avoided the steep surge predictions of 10 to 15 feet that were forecast at one point.
A neighbor who was helping her clean up her yard agreed. “I prefer the winds and debris to the surge.”
Birard said she has mixed feelings about staying in the neighborhood after the double whammy.
“If we keep having surge warnings like for this one, I don’t know,” Birard said. “I’ve already looked at Zillow.”
- Ryan Ballogg, Ryan Callihan and Michael Moore Jr.
READ MORE: Back-to-back hurricanes take toll on Gulf Coast neighborhoods. ‘I’ve looked at Zillow’
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