Anna Maria Island took the brunt of the damage in Manatee County, and WFLA News Channel 8 got a look at the damage on Holmes Beach with a ride along with the chief of police.

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.