Sheriff on widespread destruction on Manasota Key: ‘Never seen anything like this’

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Authorities had part of Manasota Key blocked off to vehicle traffic Monday, days after Hurricane Milton devastated the area. Residents returning to their island homes to assess the damage had to walk to their properties.

The area is still being cleaned up as the streets were loaded with several feet of sand and debris from Hurricane Milton’s storm surge.

Walking along the beach, home after home was badly damaged by the storm surge. Some structures that were impacted by Hurricane Helene two weeks earlier were wiped off their foundations during Hurricane Milton.

“When Helene came through here a couple weeks ago, we got a taste of the surge and it flooded out many of my coastal communities and barrier islands, and then Milton came through and did even worse. I have never seen anything like this,” Sheriff Bill Prummell said.

Burton Webb and his wife returned to check on their home this weekend. The property along Friendship Lane wasn’t badly damaged during Helene, like others in the neighborhood, but Milton was different.

“The storm surge pretty much leveled nine out of 10 homes, it seems, in this community. No sandbags, no shoreline protection could protect it,” Webb said.

For Webb and his wife, the home damaged by Milton isn’t their primary residence. For many neighbors, however, the homes they just lost are all they have.

“We have several friends that this is their primary residence, just within 100 yards of here, so our heart feels for them,” Webb said.

As the community begins to clean up, many residents are now contemplating their futures in Florida.

“Most of the people here want to continue to be here, but this many hurricanes in two years, I know a lot of Southwest Florida says we are heading back north,” Webb said. “Most of us are getting the heck out of here.”

As county crews work to clear the roadways of debris and sand, they’re asking for the public’s patience.

“I know a lot of our residents are frustrated, they have been frustrated with us that we don’t let them on here and we are slowly opening things up as we are making it safe,” Prummell said. “I understand their frustrations, but they have got to realize, we are trying to do it for their own safety and security.”

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