Hurricane Helene made landfall at this coastal Florida county. What is Dekle Beach?
After swamping much of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Hurricane Helene slammed into the state’s Big Bend around 11:10 p.m. Thursday at Dekle Beach in Taylor County, about 20 miles south of the county seat, Perry.
The Category 4 storm’s eyewall, swirling winds of 140 mph and sending the Gulf over land, descended on Taylor County just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River, about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, according to the National Hurricane Center.
What is Dekle Beach?
Dekle Beach, about 50 miles southeast of Tallahassee in the Panhandle, is named for Gus Dekle, a Democrat who served in Florida’s House of Representatives for Taylor County from 1947 to 1953, according to state archives.
The Chevrolet dealer acquired and developed the land in the mid-1940s as a residential beach area.
A raging Gulf storm in 1993 destroyed the beach and killed 6 of 13 members of a family visiting from North Florida in a rented house at the beach.
Dekle Beach was rebuilt by survivors.
READ MORE: Helene’s toll grows: Nearly 1.2 million without power in Florida, 4 dead
Where is Perry, Florida?
Perry, the only incorporated city in Taylor County, according to its website, has a 2020 Census popular of just under 7,000 people.
Perry was first named Rosehead, but according to the city, no one knows why. Perry, however, was eventually named for Florida Gov. Madison Perry, the fourth leader of the state from 1857 to 1861, and a Confederate colonel during the American Civil War.
After its 1903 incorporation, Perry — as well as Taylor County — is a “fisherman’s paradise,” according to a 1995 Miami Herald travel story, known for its long coastline and fresh and saltwater angling.
Perry also touts itself as a tree-friendly community and hosts festivals including “The World’s Largest Fish Fry,” according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Hurricanes Debby in August and Idalia in 2023 also swept through the state’s Panhandle.
This story was originally published September 27, 2024 at 1:43 PM.
