SIESTA KEY, Fla. — Hurricane Helene's storm surge dumped several feet of sand on streets and thousands of homes along the Tampa Bay coastline.
From St. Pete down to Sarasota, sand dunes have taken over the streets and work crews continue to pile them one after the other.
As local leaders work out what happens to the sand that has come onto roadways and public land, many impacted homeowners and business owners are wondering what to do with the sand that's on their property.
"Some of the sand destroyed the bottom floor of our clubhouse just blew through glass doors that Sand is all mixed with glass and metal shards and that's very dangerous," John Amato of Siesta Key said.
Stray furniture and a kayak launch dock dislodged by six feet of storm surge were among some of the things Amato found on his property after Hurricane Helene. However, the sand that was left behind has taken center stage in the recovery efforts for him and many of his neighbors in Siesta Key.
"The houses had feet of sand, I saw one car completely buried in sand," Amato said.
The sand is everywhere you drive and officials in cities and towns like Sarasota, Long Boat Key, Bradenton Beach, St. Pete Beach, Clearwater and many others are fielding questions about what's going to happen to all the sand and what folks should do about the sand that's found its way into their lives.
"That's a good question, where it goes. Right now it's the side of the road and almost like at some point we'll have to backhoe that stuff out," Amato said.
Amato, who is also the President of the Board for Sanderling neighbors, said he is trying to coordinate with landscapers about the sand in parts of their neighborhood.
Evacuation experts say they are getting tons of calls from confused homeowners seeking assistance with the sand problem.
"It was mopped over with sand completely. You could walk right across it like there was never a pool here," Jeremy Miller of Extreme Divers based in Fort Myers said.
Miller and his team had spent the digging out sand from a pool first with a backhoe and then a vacuum extractor. However, much of all that sand can't go back onto the beach just right away.
"We are bringing all the materials out so that it can be sent off and the state can go through it, clean it up, and then it can be brought back out here back to the beach," Ronald Major of Extreme Divers said.
As the wait continues for local public works and state crews to move the sand away, Sarasota officials say folks can bring their sand to the curb. Pinellas County officials said only clean sand, uncontaminated by floodwaters and free of stains, odors or debris can be returned to the beach. They also said sand cannot be placed over dune plants, turtle nests, storm debris or construction debris.
Due to the excessive amount of sand involved in this ongoing recovery process, Sarasota County officials said residents should exercise patience as they are still working out details in line with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection before they would be able to present guidelines for the public.
"We've had that storm surge that affected all of the coastline and that sand was pushed everywhere so we've got it in different places," Sandra Tapfumaneyi, Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief said.
Just last year, the county completed the nearly $9 million South Siesta Beach Repair Project that included the extensive re-nourishment of Turtle Beach.
"We are assessing all of our beaches and we have some debris on some others, so we wanted to make sure that everything is consistently looked at, but what we don't want to do is to just return it without sifting it, without making sure that it doesn't have these pesticides that can be harmful to people so that's why it just takes a little bit of time to make sure we get it right," Tapfumaneyi said.
"I understand why they don't just throw it back on the beach. It can wash into the water and things like that and it's called Turtle Beach for a reason," Steve Fulhearty of Siesta Key said.
"It's beautiful sand but not when it's mixed with glass and metal," Amato said.
Officials also said if you are not sure what to do with the sand at your business or home, just give them a call at 311, or you can also contact the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for more information.
In addition, if you have sandbags that were used and came in contact with floodwaters, you will need to take those to a landfill to dump the sand out.
Unused sandbags that didn't come in contact with flood waters can be returned to the beach or utilized in your garden or yard landscaping.