As Palm Beach beaches close, Hurricane Milton evacuees, businesses keep wary eye on storm

A strong wind fought Palm Beach Fire Rescue chief lifeguard Craig Pollock as he tried to place a sign across the gates at Midtown Beach on Wednesday.

The hand-drawn sign bore a red hurricane symbol and a message in English and Spanish: "Beach Closed. No Access!"

As Palm Beach braced for the Wednesday evening arrival of tropical storm-force winds and rain brought by Hurricane Milton , officials closed the town's beaches at noon , saying they will reopen Friday, weather permitting.

Dozens of people watched the choppy ocean before lifeguards on all-terrain vehicles ordered them behind the seawall. Pollock said many of those on the beach Wednesday had evacuated from Florida's west coast, where Milton was forecast to make landfall Wednesday night as a major hurricane.

"Everyone wants to be able to say they were at the beach during the hurricane," Pollock said as two lifeguards went group-to-group to notify visitors of the beach closure.

Jazzlinn Turner of Iowa arrived just as Pollock began to close the gates. She and her two sons, 9-year-old Korbin and 10-year-old Kyler, came to Florida last week to visit Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando. They were able to go to Disney, but traveled south to visit Turner's father Rick Fisher in West Palm Beach when their Universal plans were scuttled by the storm.

The family already visited the beach twice but was looking forward to some time outside before the worst of the storm was expected to hit later Wednesday, Turner said.

Still, her sons weren't disappointed. "They seem to be just fine," she said, laughing. "They want to stay. They said, 'Can we just get stuck here?' Going home tomorrow means going back to school."

As Turner talked with the Daily News, Pollock laughed and said, "You may not be able to go on the beach, but at least you'll be in the Shiny Sheet!"

Businesses keep wary eye on storm

Preparations for Thursday's turbulent weather were anything but uniform. While some businesses and organizations, including the Society of the Four Arts on Royal Palm Way and La Goulue on South County Road, were closed Wednesday and Thursday, others preferred to watch to see how Milton might impact the island.

On South County Road, Peterbrooke Chocolatier locked its doors Tuesday with plans to open Friday. SurfSide Diner would remain open, while placing shutters to prepare for the tropical storm conditions forecast for Thursday.

Rick Wentley, owner of P.B. Boys Club, told the Daily News he may keep the shop open Thursday. "People are going to need something to do," Wentley said, noting the sizable number of Gulf Coast visitors waiting out the storm in town.

"So, we're going to be playing it by ear. If it's empty, we'll probably close early," he said.

Wentley chose to not install hurricane shutters on the store's windows or sandbags in front of the shop's doors, saying he didn't think it would be needed.

Green's Pharmacy Luncheonette on North County Road was bustling at lunchtime Wednesday. Owner Allen Rutman, who has weathered several major storms at Green's during his more than three decades at the helm, said he hopes to stay open throughout the storm.

"It will depend on the storm and how it's developing," he said.

Manager Cindy Bernhardt said she usually gets to Green's at 4:30 a.m. to open the store and restaurant. She recalled when Green's was without power for a week after Hurricane Irma.

"We had to throw so much food away," she recalled. "So many frozen things. Everything that was refrigerated."

Next door at Amici Market, a sign on the door said the store would close early at 4 p.m. Wednesday, with Thursday's hours to be decided.

Farther down North County Road, Chik Monk Coffee remained open Wednesday and stayed busy with many customers saying they were from out of town, co-owner David Beil said.

The business planned to stay open Wednesday and make a decision Wednesday night about whether to open Thursday, said his wife and co-owner Nandini Jayaprasad. "If winds hit 50 mph, we'll close," she said.

"It just us," Beil said of the café's small staff. "It's no one else.

"It's a shame," he added. "We haven't closed one day since we opened. But we need to make sure it's safe for us and our guests."

Gulf Coast evacuees hit beach, restaurants

Several business owners told the Daily News that much of their foot traffic Tuesday and Wednesday came from people who evacuated from the Gulf Coast ahead of Milton's arrival. Many of those on the beach Wednesday also were from Florida's west coast, lifeguards noted.

Throughout Palm Beach County, hotels were packed: 88% of the county's hotels were at full occupancy for Wednesday night, according to Discover The Palm Beaches, the county's official tourism marketing agency.

"With nearly 20,000 hotel rooms, The Palm Beaches remain a destination option for evacuees," Milton Segarra, Discover's president and chief executive, said in a news release. "The high occupancy rate we are experiencing underscores our dedication to ensuring that visitors are supported during these challenging times."

Tom Striano and Linda Reed evacuated from Englewood to stay with friends in Palm Beach. They've visited before, Striano said, noting that Green's, where they planned to get lunch, is a favorite spot of theirs.

It's Striano's first time evacuating since he moved to Englewood. He lives about 20 minutes from the beach in evacuation Zone C.

"When they hit C, we left," he said.

His home experienced some flooding during Hurricane Ian in 2022, while Reed's did not. "We have no idea what we're going home to," Striano said.

Palm Beach residents attorney David Marder and marine biologist Olivia Howson walked their two dogs, golden retriever Finn and Labrador retriever Gunner, down to The Breakers and back Wednesday morning before the storm's effects hit the island.

The couple live in a beachfront home 30 feet above sea level and said they were hosting friends who evacuated from St. Petersburg, near where Milton is forecast to make landfall.

"We've ridden out so many storms here," said Marder, a lifelong Palm Beach resident who said he had "literally no concerns at all" about the storm's effects on the island.

Palm Beach resident Linda Gross attended Mass on Wednesday morning at St. Edward Catholic Church on North County Road, and returned later to pray. Among the items on her prayer list: Those in Hurricane Milton's path.

Palm Beach officials prepare for storm

In addition to closing the beaches at noon Wednesday, the town also ordered all landscaping and construction work to stop, Palm Beach said in an alert.

Chief of Police Nicholas Caristo declared a state of emergency for the town , which paves the way for any possible evacuations or roadblocks that need to be ordered because of the storm.

The town planned to complete yard waste collection by Wednesday afternoon. Recycling and residential garbage pickup were suspended from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday with full service set to begin Friday, the town said.

These town facilities closed at noon Wednesday and will reopen Friday:

• Town Hall
• Phipps Ocean Park and Seaview Tennis Centers
• Par 3 Golf Course
• Mandel Recreation Center
• Town Marina Office
• Town beaches, to reopen Friday, weather permitting

The Al Fresco restaurant was closed Wednesday and will be closed Thursday, the town said.

The Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday to postpone Wednesday's scheduled Development Review Committee meeting to 9:30 a.m. Oct. 15.

Palm Beach County issued an evacuation order Tuesday for Zone A, which includes manufactured homes, trailers and mostly inland areas that are prone to flooding. The town of Palm Beach is in Zone B.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: As Palm Beach beaches close, Hurricane Milton evacuees, businesses keep wary eye on storm