Hurricane Milton devastated one of the most popular ‘snowbird’ areas on Florida’s Gulf Coast

BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The start of Florida’s snowbird season is just a few weeks away, but many Florida Gulf Coast beaches, regularly voted some of the best in the United States, are closed to the public because of of devastation. from Hurricane Milton two weeks ago.

Most restaurants and stores in Sarasota’s upscale St. Armands Circle district were flooded with water from Milton and Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida nearly two weeks before Milton. Sarasota’s dominant performing arts hall is closed until January due to extensive damage. Mounds of debris are scattered along Gulf Coast roads.

Hurricane Milton’s devastating toll along Florida’s Gulf Coast hit one of the most popular areas for snowbirds — temporary residents who spend the winter months in the Sunshine State — just before the start of the season, which usually runs from after Halloween. until close to Easter. Milton made landfall on a barrier island in Sarasota County as a Category 3 hurricane. The storm inundated coastal homes with piles of sand, pushed water inland and caused tens of billions of dollars in private insured losses along the Coast. of the Gulf.

Visitors need to stay away for now so as not to interfere with the work of residents and recovery workers, said Larry West, a construction contractor who has spent long hours excavating 4-foot-high storm mounds. sand in a condominium on Manasota Key, about 32 miles (19.8 kilometers) south of Sarasota.

“Give this area time. Don’t come here,” West said. “It doesn’t help when you put people in the way.”

Other Floridians on the Gulf Coast take the opposite view. In Clearwater, more than 55 miles (34.1 kilometers) north of Sarasota, Mayor Bruce Rector said he has been receiving calls from as far away as Canada, asking him: “Mayor, when will it be safe for Canadians to return to Clearwater?”

“I told them, ‘Today,’” Rector said during a recent meeting of the Pinellas County Tourist Development Council. “It won’t be perfect, but you’ll have a similar experience to what you’ve always had here.”

Shawn Kaleta, one of the largest property owners on Anna Maria Island, about 20 miles north of Sarasota, also feels optimistic about this season, as bookings at the rental properties he manages are up year over year. past.

Florida, a state of 23 million people, has about 1.5 million seasonal residents annually, with about a third coming from Canada.

Evan Rachkovsky, director of communications for the Canadian Snowbird Association, said he hasn’t heard of any members canceling their plans, even those whose homes were damaged, although some are delaying their trips until the situation improves.

“The majority of our members will still head south as planned,” Rachkovsky said.

Some snowbirds have already made their annual migration south despite the latest storms, returning to their pickleball groups and tennis leagues even as some of their neighbors’ condominiums remain uninhabitable.

Because of Sarasota’s reputation for a thriving performing arts scene, a sizable portion of its snowbirds are patrons of the performing arts. Milton caused extensive damage to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, home to the Sarasota Orchestra and Sarasota Ballet, and all performances were canceled until the start of the new year.

During the past few years, many snowbirds have delayed arriving in Florida, opting to return after hurricane season ends in late November. As a result, some performing arts groups are delaying the start of their seasons until later in the year, said Richard Russell, general director of Sarasota Opera, where about 40% of season subscribers are snowbirds.

“If people delay returning for a few years because of storm activity in late October, that could be the new normal,” Russell said.

Vacation home owners outside Florida see opportunity in the Gulf Coast’s misfortune. Gary Sacks advertised his two-bedroom condo in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on the “Florida Snowbirds 2025” Facebook page less than a week after Milton arrived on the mainland, targeting those “whose plans to be a snowbird have been impacted by the two hurricanes that hit Florida. He did not respond to an interview request.

Jim Lenz, 96, who lives outside Dayton, Ohio, and spends the winter months in The Villages, a sprawling retirement community in central Florida, believes the storms could put a pause on some snowbirds’ winter plans. , “especially people who are older and may decide, ‘I don’t want to take that risk anymore.’”

“Some might give up on this. Others may decide, ‘We just can’t handle the cold here and we’re going to sink,’” Lenz said.

Some snowbirds like Joe Singer say the increasing number and intensity of storms won’t keep them away. Singer, who has spent the past five winters in Parkland, Florida, rather than his hometown of New Jersey, said he and other snowbirds are adapting, buying homes further inland or on higher ground and purchasing generators.

The winter months are “like a mini-heaven,” said Singer, who is an avid hiker. “I wake up in the morning and go for a walk. I don’t need to scrape the ice off the windshield. I don’t need to clean the sidewalk. It’s been really, really good.”

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