DUNEDIN, Fla. — Multiple businesses had windows blown out and shattered glass scattered throughout a Dunedin shopping plaza.
Cars were turned over, windows busted and light poles twisted after the storm rolled through Thursday morning. Business owners predicted it could have been a tornado. The National Weather Service confirmed that news on Thursday.
"There was debris everywhere. Found our window had been blown out. Glass everywhere. This was all chaos. You couldn’t really walk through the parking lot because of all the debris," said Cindy Haynes, the manager of The Gym in the Causeway Plaza.
Haynes was in disbelief when she saw the damage left behind. Windows were blown out at several businesses. The bingo hall in the plaza was severely damaged. Workers there said AC units blew off the roof, and there were water leaks coming in from the ceiling.
"When the sun came up and you saw all the destruction, it’s just really hard to believe," Haynes stated.
A tailor shop had their AC unit blow away and water flooded into the store.
"I feel really depressed about it, but there’s nothing we can do," a worker, Katrina Marko, said.
Down the way, the owner of a virtual reality center said he feels like he got lucky. The damage there was nowhere near as bad as what he saw outside.
"There were light poles, broken like a twig," said Peter Repak, the owner of Sim Center Tampa Bay in the Causeway Plaza.
Repak said things were blown all over the place, including a portable toilet.
"The porta potty was on top of the light pole, so that caught me off guard when I came in," Repak said.
As storms rolled through Thursday afternoon, businesses did their best to clean up the damage. Most businesses had their broken windows boarded by the evening.
"There was a lot of destruction. We just want this to end and move on, but at least everyone is safe, nobody got hurt," Haynes said.
No injuries were reported. 10 Tampa Bay saw officials with the National Weather Service on scene surveying the damage.