Florida Landmark Takes One-Two Hurricane Punch

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It was 1976 when Kathleen Flinn's parents first laid eyes on Anna Maria Island, where Florida's Tampa Bay meets the Gulf of Mexico.

Her dad wasn't a fan of the Sunshine State. Then:

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"He walked out onto the Rod N' Reel pier, went out, stood at the very end of it, looked at the bay, looked at the Gulf and said, 'I wanna live here for the rest of my life,'" Flinn said in a phone interview Friday.

The family bought a house near the pier. Flinn, now in her 50s and a New York Times best-selling author, grew up there and her dad became one of the many locals who fished and drank beers at the Rod N' Reel.

The pier, built in 1947, was heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene in September. Hurricane Milton washed away what was left two weeks later.

"I actually cried when I saw that picture and then it was confirmed that it was gone," Flinn said.

Her dad died of cancer in 1980.

His name was Milton.

A​ First Fish, A Family Tradition

Bailey Bannigan, 28, has lived on the island or nearby her whole life. Her first job was at the pier, waiting tables at 15. She caught her first fish there at the age of 7.

"​My Uncle Carl was one of the bartenders out there," Bannigan said Friday.

"​My late grandmother ... highlight of her life was going and getting a 'pier burger' because they were the best around."

B​annigan and Flinn described the Rod N' Reel as a place where it didn't matter if you lived in your car or had a million bucks.

"The beer was gonna be cheap and cold no matter who purchased it," Bannigan said.

T​he Rod N' Reel has had different owners over the years. At times, it fell into disrepair. Much of it was rebuilt after it was damaged by a fire in 2014.

B​ut it remained the locals' hangout.

"Whether the physical building is still there, you see how much heart is still standing," Bannigan said. "And that's because of the love that it's shown the people and the memories that it's given the people and the comfort and the happiness and the joy that they find there."

'We're Going To Recover'

A​nna Maria Island, in Manatee County, is 7 miles long and in some spots barely a quarter-mile wide. It's made up of the cities of Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach. The Census Bureau lists about 5,000 residents in all three combined, but many of those are seasonal.

The county sees more than 4 million tourists a year. The island is its biggest draw.

Storm surge from Helene flooded n​early every first floor building on the island with 1 to 3 feet of water. Feet of sand were left in some, too.

F​linn's mom moved in 2018, and died at age 90 just before Helene hit. Tropical Storm Milton, later a Category 3 hurricane, formed the day of her funeral.

The home where Flinn and her husband spend half the year in Holmes Beach was mostly destroyed by Helene.

M​ilton wasn't as big a blow to the island as a whole but many structures, like the Rod N' Reel, were further damaged. Another landmark, the City Pier in Anna Maria, is also largely gone.

F​linn and Bannigan are sure the island, and its people, will bounce back.

“I think we'll clean up, we'll repair, we'll replace," Flinn said. "And you know what? I think this is a wound but we're going to recover from it.”

Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.