TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — Residents and visitors who were hoping to visit Sunset Beach are going to have to wait a bit longer as crews and businesses clean up the beachfront following Hurricane Idalia.
Treasure Island officials issued a notice for the public to not sightsee around the area neighborhood as the cleanup to get the island back to normal is in progress.
Sunset Beach was the hardest hit area of the island from Idalia, city officials said.
Currently, all beach parking lots on Sunset Beach are closed and the Treasure Island Police Department will be stopping people to ask why they are in the area and if you have no business there, TIPD will ask you to leave, authorities said.
Officials said Caddy's and Ta'Kiki will be open.
"The residents need some time and they need some space to recover," Police Chief John Barkley said.
Hurricane Idalia tore into Florida at the speed of a fast-moving train Wednesday, splitting trees in half, ripping roofs off hotels and turning small cars into boats before sweeping into Georgia and South Carolina as a still-powerful storm that flooded roadways and sent residents running for higher ground.
As the eye moved inland, high winds shredded signs, blew off roofs, sent sheet metal flying and snapped tall trees. One person was killed in Georgia. No hurricane-related deaths were officially confirmed in Florida, but the Florida Highway Patrol reported two people dying in separate weather-related crashes just hours before Idalia made landfall.