Authorities are urging tourists and visitors to postpone any beach plans until after Anna Maria Island and Sarasota County beaches recover from the disaster caused by Hurricane Helene.
Many tourists seeking to visit Sarasota and Manatee have voiced concern about two vacation rental companies that refuse to refund reservations to Hurricane Helene disaster zones. Authorities say Sarasota and Manatee County beaches remain closed, and are advising potential tourists to postpone travel plans to areas impacted by Hurricane Helene, such as barrier islands, until after Hurricane Helene disaster recovery.
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Concern over the issue has led the city of Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island to call a special meeting on Wednesday evening to consider a temporary moratorium on vacation rentals to help tourists apply for vacation insurance or other forms of relief if they are trapped by contracts with rental companies.
"I feel for these people, so we are pretty much pushed into a corner where we have to properly do a moratorium just for the sake of our tourists so that they can collect on their travel insurance or something because they shouldn't be here, it's not safe," Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said.
Anna Maria Island beaches closed
Anna Maria Island beaches are closed, and island authorities are advising potential visitors and tourists to consider postponing their trips until after the island recovers from Helene.
The city of Holmes Beach will meet Wednesday evening to consider a temporary moratorium on vacation rentals in response to vacation rental companies that refuse to cancel and refund reservations despite being located inside an active disaster recovery zone.
AMI beaches have been significantly affected by Hurricane Helene storm surge, and remain unsafe because of the potential presence of dangerous debris and water quality concerns. Most buildings were flooded, most businesses are still closed, and much of the road remains broken or buried.
Watch: Aerial view of Anna Maria Island after Hurricane Helene
The city has also instituted a curfew that forces residents inside or out of the city by 7 p.m., and it is expected to remain in place through at least this weekend.
"We are getting calls from people saying their rental property management isn't going to give them their money back, and they wonder if we're really open to tourism," Titsworth said. "The rent here is $15,000 to $20,000 a week, and these people feel trapped that they have to come."
Titsworth said the city has the authority to impose a moratorium up to 90 days if approved by the city council.
"If I can do it for a week I will, but I'm not convinced that we're going to get the debris off this island, there is only so many debris haulers and everybody's got mountains of debris all the way up to the panhandle," she said.
Did you know? What to do with all of the sand? Local guidelines differ for sand disposal after Helene
To the south on AMI, the city of Bradenton Beach is only accessible by crossing the Cortez bridge on foot. The city has also instituted a curfew during disaster recovery. The city of Anna Maria, on the north end of the island, considered a similar moratorium on vacation rentals on Tuesday, but city officials voted against implementing it.
Still, Mayor Dan Murphy said the city continues to advise potential visitors to reconsider their vacation until after Anna Maria Island can recover. He said the vacation rental companies in question have a reputation refusing to refund reservations, including past situations such as the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic response.
"I've got 18 debris removal trucks in the city and it's only one square mile," Murphy said. "They can't go to the beach, the reason they're coming is to go to the beach. All the restaurants are closed because they suffered severe water damage, the grocery store is closed so you can't get food unless you go off the island. That's the status."
"This is not a good time to come vacation, there is no beaches there is no restaurants and there is very little that you can do except get tangled with debris removal trucks," he said. "Even our parks are filled with dumpsters."
Sarasota County beaches closed
All Sarasota County beaches and parks remain closed, and local officials are asking potential visitors to stay away from barrier islands while disaster recovery remains underway.
Sarasota area officials said the beaches, and parks, are closed indefinitely although they hesitated to project the status through the weekend when asked by the Herald-Tribune on Wednesday.
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"All county-owned and operated beaches and parks, and associated amenities, are all closed," Sarasota County spokeswoman Sarah Nealeigh said. "We continue to ask people to stay off the barrier island if they are not a resident or a business owner so that folks out there can continue their recovery efforts."
Beaches in the city of Sarasota are also currently closed although the city would not clarify specific plans for this weekend when asked on Wednesday.
"Lido Beach is closed for the foreseeable future," city of Sarasota spokeswoman Jan Thornburg said.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Beaches remain closed. Visitors advised to rethink trips to Sarasota or Manatee beaches
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