Anna Maria Island was quiet on Wednesday with many tourists and residents appearing to heed the mandatory evacuation order.
A mandatory order went into effect for zone A in Manatee County at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
But some locals are still choosing to ride out the storm.
“I’ve always stayed during the storm. It can be scary and there have been a couple times I wish I did leave,” Anthony Stombaugh said.
But Stombaugh won’t be staying home. Instead, he’ll be riding out the storm on the third floor of Waterline Vistas and Marina, where he is the general manager.
“I feel better being up higher because the flooding here on the island, like I said, does get really, really so feel like the higher you are, the safer you are.”
He worries about Surge getting into his home, which is a single-story house.
“Our road on Avenue C floods super, super bad so we sandbag and do all the prep like we do here at the resort.”
“The roads where I live, before people were kayaking so it does get a little nerve-wracking. Thank goodness I do have neighbors that keep me informed on what’s going on over there.”