DeSantis said in a Saturday afternoon press conference in Bradenton Beach. “This is just too nice an area not to.”

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch Director Kristen Mazzarella told the Herald-Tribune that wildlife on the island also suffered losses. She said that a record-setting number of sea turtle nests laid on AMI this year has been devastated, first by Hurricane Debby and finished off by Helene.

The Manatee County Government announced that a boil water advisory has been issued for Anna Maria Island on Saturday afternoon.

A curfew has been implemented for all three cities on Anna Maria Island after Hurricane Helene left a severe storm surge and flooding throughout the Tampa Bay area. According to the City of Holmes Beach,

There are still flooded streets,” a Manatee County commissioner said. “Sand is blocking streets. Sand is in buildings. Sand is in homes.”