A landmark restaurant with ‘old Florida charm’ destroyed by Hurricane Milton

An Anna Maria Island landmark hanging by a thread after September’s Hurricane Helene is now gone after Milton slammed into Siesta Key Wednesday night.

Hurricane Milton, which made landfall as a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds off Sarasota, wiped out the Rod and Reel Pier, a seafood restaurant that opened in 1947 on the island’s northern end, according to social media posts from officials.

Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse and the City of Anna Maria posted to their Facebook pages that the landmark restaurant — known for its “little bit of old Florida” charm — was destroyed.

“What was left of the Rod & Reel Pier and its restaurant after Helene gave in with the surge,” Kruse wrote on Facebook.

Kruse showed a split image of the Rod and Reel Pier after Helene’s damage and after Milton’s destruction, while the City of Anna Maria mentioned the restaurant at 875 North Shore Dr. in a Thursday morning update.

“The Rod & Reel pier appears to be totally destroyed,” the update said. “Streets are cluttered with electrical cables, and some power poles are down, with minimal debris on roadways.”

The City of Anna Maria also said city hall did not have structural damage, though the city pier lost 50 yards of walkway.

Kruse’s split-screen photo of the Rod and Reel Pier’s destruction shows the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the distance.

This story was originally published October 10, 2024 at 12:50 PM.