Manasota Key residents concerned for community's future after devastating hurricanes
After the Surge: Manasota Key
An 8-foot storm surge during Hurricane Milton made just about every home in Manasota Key unlivable. Now, six months after the devastation caused by multiple hurricanes, there’s still a long way to go in the rebuilding process.
MANASOTA KEY, Fla. - Six months after Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated the beach community of Manasota Key, one thing is clear: there's a long way to go in the recovery process.
What they're saying:
"It’s just sad," said Diane Yeomans, who drives around Manasota Key in her golf cart. "You can't go to our state park. It's closed. You just need a place to go to get away from this stuff."
Manasota Key is in the midst of a long recovery process after the 2024 hurricane season.
She says too many parts of the island look the same as they did the day after Milton. Everywhere you go on the island, everyone is still talking about the storms.
Also, Diane says, too many residents are calling it quits and selling their homes. She’s afraid three-story mansions will replace many of the island’s bungalows.
More "for sale" signs are popping up around Manasota Key in the aftermath of the 2024 hurricanes.
"The rich moving in and us poor people not having a place to go and enjoy; it’s hard," she said.
Rodney Nibert’s home has no drywall and is still in the middle of a complete renovation.
"It was bad. The ocean was in your house for 12 hours," he recalled.
Rodney Nibert says his home has no drywall and is undergoing a complete renovation.
He owns five rental homes on the island, all of which suffered extensive damage as well. They took priority and are finally ready to rent, but he’s been living in an RV in his driveway during his own renovations.
"In the morning you get up, get a coffee and go to work and just start working on whatever project you can until you get to a point where you can't. Then you switch to a different one," said Nibert.
While he works hard to fix his own house, he watches his community change in front of his eyes.
"This is one of the last small islands in Florida that hasn't been totally commercialized," he said. "People could come in and buy up a bunch of land and, you know, we could have a Howard Johnson's on the beach instead of all these quaint bungalows."
What's next:
There are signs of progress, though. The restaurants are all open and vacation renters are trickling back onto the island. But as far as the future landscape of this Florida gem of an island, only time will well.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13 senior producer Corey Beckman.
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