ENGLEWOOD BEACH, Fla. — The normally calm waters of the Gulf turned into crashing waves along Englewood Beach Tuesday evening, as Hurricane Idalia inched closer to Florida.
While the brunt of the storm remained far off-shore, residents like Claude Soucy were thankful they dodge the path.
“We still have some time to go, so we can’t let our guard down. But at this point we are fortunate to be in the position we’re in so we can look at it and not be underneath it,” Soucy said.
Charlotte County did not issue mandatory evacuation orders.
Just to the north, in Sarasota County, Level A evacuations were ordered for people living along the coast and in low-lying areas.
As they watched the storm from afar, Manasota Key residents like Rocco, who just had his home repaired, were thankful southwest Florida wouldn’t see a repeat of last year.
“I think we’re in the clear now. No problem. The roof is intact.”
