Live updates on Nicole: Inspectors declare 24 hotels, condos unsafe in Daytona Beach Shores
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Hurricane Nicole made landfall just south of Vero Beach at 3 a.m., according to the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds were estimated to be 75 mph.
'Holy! ...': Watch Daytona Beach Shores pool deck collapse as Tropical Storm Nicole rages
Nicole quickly weakened into a tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds now at 60 mph, as of the latest advisory from the Hurricane Center.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Florida and Georgia until 1 p.m. Counties included in the watch are: Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, Duval, Nassau, Clay, Camden and Glynn.
— Cheryl McCloud and Diane Pantaleo
6:35 p.m. | Inspectors declare 24 hotels and condos unsafe
County and municipal building inspectors have declared 24 hotels and condos to be unsafe and have ordered their evacuation, according to a press release:
Sanibel Condo, 3799 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (11 stories)
Flamingo Inn, 2011 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (three stories)
Castaways Beach Resort, 2043 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (seven stories)
OPUS Condo, 2071 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (11 stories)
Towers Grande, 2055 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (15 stories)
Hawaiian Inn, 2301 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (five stories)
Ocean Court, 2315 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (two stories)
Sand and Surf, 2535 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (two stories)
Sherwin Condo, 2555 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (19 stories)
St. Kitts Condominium, 2855 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (six stories)
Tropic Shores Resort, 3111 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (11 stories)
South Shore Motel, 3225 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (three stories)
Holiday Inn Express, 3301 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (11 stories)
Twin Towers North, 3311 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (18 stories)
Twin Towers South, 3315 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (18 stories)
Grande Coquina Condo, 3333 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (22 stories)
Marabella Condo, 3343 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (seven stories)
Pirate’s Cove, 3501 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (seven stories)
White Surf Condo, 3555 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (seven stories)
Curran Shores North, 3615 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (two stories)
Sunglow Resort, 3647 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (10 stories)
Dimucci Tower 14, 3797 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores (seven stories)
Sea Coast Gardens II Condominiums, 4151 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach (five stories)
The two easterly oceanfront buildings of Las Brisas Condominiums, 3001 S. Atlantic Ave. (three stories)
Additionally, at least 25 single-family homes in Wilbur-by-the-Sea were evacuated after being declared structurally unsafe.
“The structural damage along our coastline is unprecedented,” County Manager George Recktenwald said in the release. “We have never experienced anything like this before, so we ask for your patience as we make our assessments. As always, the safety of our residents and visitors is our top priority. This is going to be a long road to recovery.”
— Eileen Zaffiro-Kean
5:40 p.m. | Beachside residents should use Seabreeze bridge
Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry said in a Facebook post this evening that the Seabreeze bridge is the only bridge that has been deemed passable as the water has receded enough to allow vehicle traffic.
All residents, business owners and employees of the beachside are being directed to use the Seabreeze bridge to access their residences and businesses. All bridges are being manned by officers in order to ensure compliance with the curfew that ends at 7 a.m. tomorrow.
3:47 p.m. | 5 Publix stores remain closed
Publix is delaying the reopening of its five beachside grocery stores in Volusia County again.
Originally set to reopen Thursday morning after closing the previous afternoon because of Tropical Storm Nicole, the Lakeland-based grocery store chain announced early Thursday that it pushed back the reopening time to 1 p.m.
Now, it is delaying the reopening of those stores until Friday morning.
"Due to bridge closures and curfews in effect, we now anticipate reopening the five stores below tomorrow (Friday)," Publix spokeswoman Hannah Herring wrote in an email sent Thursday afternoon.
The regular opening time for Publix stores is 7 a.m.
The five beachside Publix stores in question are the chain's locations at 101 E. Granada Blvd. in Ormond Beach; 1258 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond-by-the-Sea; 2595 N. Atlantic Ave. in the Bellair Plaza shopping center in Daytona Beach; 3044 S. Atlantic Ave. in Daytona Beach Shores; and 709 E. 3rd Ave. in New Smyrna Beach.
— Clayton Park
3:33 p.m. | Police evacuating residents of NSB condo complex
Evacuations are underway at the Sea Coast Gardens II condominiums at 4151 S. Atlantic Ave. in New Smyrna Beach.
The police department received a request at 1:15 p.m. from the property manager to assist in evacuating 15 people due to concerns over-erosion of the building’s seawall and beach dunes. The property has been deemed unsafe by the city's chief building official.
— Brenno Carillo
3:05 p.m. | Rose Bay seawall in Port Orange compromised
The Rose Bay seawall and bank on the north end of the Cambridge Canal in Port Orange have been compromised, threatening to flood hundreds of homes in the area, according to a city post on Facebook.
A map also posted by the city shows that neighborhoods both north and south of Wilshire Boulevard could be affected by the rising waters.
“The wall that dams up Rose Bay did breach,” Port Orange Mayor Don Burnette said in an interview Thursday morning. “That’s what we’re seeing, Rose Bay coming up in the canal – all those homes, several hundred of them in that area that flooded during Ian are threatened.”
In an update Thursday afternoon, Burnette said that the water had “dropped a little with the tide.”
In the morning, Burnette said the situation was unclear and officials were “holding our breath” as they watched the situation unfold. As of 3 p.m., Burnette said that “to our knowledge, homes were threatened at high tide but none were breached.”
The mayor said that Port Orange police officers were at the scene assisting residents in the more threatened areas closer to the canal evacuate in the morning.
He added there the city has a dive team assessing the situation where the seawall and bank collapsed.
The city police department posted on social media yesterday afternoon that Herbert Street east of Ridgewood Avenue was starting to see waters rise.
“Any street like Herbert, including Dunlawton, that’s east of Ridgewood, right now is under water with the river high tide,” Burnette said. “Right now, along the river is the worst (area of flooding in the city), and we’re crossing our fingers for the Cambridge area.”
— Brenno Carillo
2:56 p.m. | Daytona Beach woman vacates flooded apartment
During Tropical Storm Ian in late September, LeeAnn Harris had a small amount of water seep into her first-floor apartment at 1025 S. Beach St.
But on Thursday morning, as the worst of Tropical Storm Nicole battered Daytona Beach, Harris had ankle-deep water and more water dripping from her ceiling.
The road in front of the Sailpoint Bay apartments, which are several blocks south of Orange Avenue, was also completely flooded.
Harris' nephew was able to get to her with his SUV and rescue her from the rising water late Thursday morning.
"The water started at my front door, and then came in through the baseboards and sliding glass doors," Harris said. "It's just a mess. Every room in the apartment is wet. It's all up on my furniture."
She has lived in the apartment since 2017, but never experienced significant flooding before.
"This is ridiculous," she said.
She said she's at her niece's house until she can find a hotel room.
— Eileen Zaffiro-Kean
2:39 p.m. | Officials survey damage on Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach Chief Building Official Glen Urquhart spent Thursday morning driving around the beachside between Bellair Plaza and Dunlawton Avenue.
Damage appeared to be relatively minor in most areas, with small pieces of roofing, signs, palm fronds and leaves scattered around. Piles of storm debris from Tropical Storm Ian managed to stay intact.
"There's mostly windborne debris," Urquhart said.
The oceanfront, however, was a different story. A section of the dunes in Daytona Beach lost another 30 feet since yesterday, he said.
A home at 2404 N. Atlantic Ave. has lost the entire dune behind the house, and it's teetering.
"They lost their whole backyard," Urquhart said. "Luckily no one was staying there."
A condominium building at 2800 N. Atlantic called The Towers had water gushing into its parking garage and was evacuated Wednesday, he said. It also lost most of the dune behind the building.
Other waterfront properties are probably in the same precarious situation, but the ocean is still up to seawalls and dune lines, so there's no way for him to inspect until the storm surge calms down and drops, he said.
"We can't access the beach. There is no beach to get on, so there's no way to see the backs of buildings," he said. "Tomorrow we'll do a more thorough assessment."
He said all beach approaches in Daytona Beach are also flooded and inaccessible.
The wind has also been an issue.
"We tried to check the sea wall, but there were 40-50 mph gusts and it was hard to walk," he said.
He wanted to launch a drone to look around, but the device would blow away since it's only rated to operate in winds up to 20 mph, he said.
The Daytona Beach Boardwalk has also been undermined. There's a large square piece that's been washed out by the storm surge getting underneath and pulling out the sand, he said.
Stairways from the Boardwalk down to the ocean are also missing sections or completely washed away, he said.
— Eileen Zaffiro-Kean
2:07 p.m. | Chases on The Beach loses deck
As with Ian, New Smyrna Beach woke up Thursday to several streets under water from Tropical Storm Nicole.
According to a Thursday news release from the city, standing water associated with storm surge and high tide has been observed in the following areas:
Beachside: South Peninsula Avenue and Goodwin Avenue
Mainland: Pine Shores Circle, Walker Road, Riverside Drive, Pioneer Trail west of Quail Hollow, Turnbull Bay Bridge, Sunset Drive, Milton Avenue, Nordman Avenue, Clarendon Avenue, Westwood Avenue, Conrad Drive, Hardy Avenue, Wayne Avenue west of Pine Shores Circle
“Residents are advised to shelter in place and stay off the roads until notified that it's safe to go out,” the release said. “Standing water, downed trees and other debris could make roads dangerous and impassable.”
Downed power lines have been reported near 417 Jessamine Ave.; South Atlantic Avenue and 21st Street; and Jungle Road and Linda Road, officials said.
Photos shared by the city in the release show standing water on South Peninsula Drive, on 3rd Avenue in front of the The Garlic restaurant, and outside the Coronado Arms Condominiums.
They also show flooded dunes at Esther Street Beachfront Park, as well as collapsed pavers at the 27th Avenue Beachfront Park. Beach erosion has brought down the deck at Chases on the Beach restaurant on South Atlantic Avenue.
On Wednesday evening, The Las Brisas condominium at 3001 Hill St. was deemed “unsafe” by the NSB building department due to erosion of the sea wall, the city police department said on Facebook. Officers urged and assisted residents to evacuate.
The North and South Causeway bridges are open.
Approximately 7,000 customers are currently without electricity as of noon Thursday. Residents can check New Smyrna Beach Utilities electric outage map at www.outages.nsbufl.com for more information. To report an outage, call customer service at 386-427-1361.
There will be no solid waste collection Thursday. Regular collection will resume Friday, Nov. 11. The makeup day for solid waste missed Thursday will be Saturday, Nov. 12.
— Brenno Carillo
2:03 p.m. | Deltona street closures
The following streets in Deltona are closed due to water over the roadway:
Elkcam Boulevard from Courtland Boulevard to Lackland Drive; from Delaware Road to Stacey Circle
Delaware Road from Elkcam Boulevard to Kent Road
South Huron Drive from West Elston Drive to Gimlet Drive
Blaine Circle: between 3060 Blaine Circle and 3065 Blaine Circle
— Katie Kustura
1:42 p.m. | Daytona Beach Pier is still standing
The Daytona Beach Pier at the eastern tip of Main Street is still standing after taking thrashings from both Tropical Storm Ian and Tropical Storm Nicole.
The nearly 100-year-old pier will be evaluated more thoroughly in the next several days, city officials said Thursday.
A section of Daytona Beach's Boardwalk north of the Bandshell was badly damaged. The concrete was broken into smaller chunks by unrelenting storm surge and multiple high tides.
The city did an initial assessment of the boardwalk but will need to evaluate the damage again once the tide recedes. The city's Public Works director will prepare several options for shoring up the area.
— Eileen Zaffiro-Kean
1:30 p.m. | Much of Daytona Beach's Beach Street underwater
The worst flooding in Daytona Beach appears to be centered around Beach Street and South Palmetto Avenue. The neighborhoods east of Nova Road, including Midtown, had minor water accumulation and mainly had downed leaves and small branches.
Just east of Beach Street, the Halifax River came up over the eastern tip of Orange Avenue around the City Island Recreation Center and Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce building. The water was at least a foot or two high, and a boat got pushed up onto the ramp behind the rec center.
Much of Beach Street was also under water Thursday morning and afternoon. The city's new high-water rescue vehicle that just arrived this week was seen driving down Beach Street south of International Speedway Boulevard late Thursday morning.
The high-water vehicle has 48-inch tires and rear steps for passengers to climb on board. It can operate in more than eight feet of water and carry up to 25 passengers.
— Eileen Zaffiro-Kean
12:12 p.m. | Evacuations underway at Tower Grande in Daytona Beach Shores
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office is evacuating residents at Tower Grande Condominiums, 2055 S. Atlantic Ave., due to unsafe conditions and sea wall collapse.
12:01 p.m. | Volusia extends curfew through Friday morning
Volusia County officials have extended the curfew for all areas east of the Intracoastal Waterway to 7 a.m. Friday, according to a news release.
Officials originally planned the curfew to last from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. today. The latest current curfew went into effect at 11:22 a.m. today.
"The curfew does not apply to regular members of law enforcement and regular employees of local businesses, industries and governmental entities while traveling to and from their jobs," according to the release. "All emergency workers are exempt, provided they have identification if stopped by law enforcement personnel."
— Eileen Zaffiro-Kean
11:55 a.m. | Atlantic Ave. closed in the shores, Wilbur-by-the-Sea
Effective immediately, Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach Shores and Wilbur-by-the-Sea will be closed to all non-emergency vehicle traffic.
Alternate routes around Atlantic Avenue may be available, but not guaranteed based on road and weather conditions.
Additionally, there will be no eastbound traffic allowed on any bridges to the beachside.
Residents are strongly advised to stay in place and minimize road travel. This permits emergency crews to provide essential services and facilitate evacuations.
11:14 a.m. | DeSantis: State prepared to respond to storm's aftermath
Gov. Ron DeSantis, at a news conference this morning, said power outages were being experienced by 333,000 accounts, about 3% of the state.
Of those outages, 23.3% were in Brevard County and 16.6% in Indian River County, while smaller percentages were also being experienced in Volusia, Putnam, Seminole and Orange counties.
“This is obviously not as significant a storm as Ian was, but coming on the heels of that, you’re seeing communities, particularly in the Volusia County area, we had a lot of that erosion on the coastline, DeSantis said. “This has put some of those structures in jeopardy.”
DeSantis said the state is prepared to respond with 17,000 linemen ready to begin working to restore power, 600 National Guardsmen activated, seven search-and-rescue teams on standby, and 250 Florida Department of Transportation crews ready to begin assessing damage, inspecting bridges and clearing roadways.
Kevin Guthrie, director of the Division of Emergency Management, said the Atlantic coast is seeing waves of 8 to 16 feet, which could cause flooding inland, particularly along the St. Johns River.
“Elevated tides, ocean swells and strong winds will push water into the St. Johns River, leading to flooding along the river. The St. Johns River right now at Astor is back into major flood stage,” he said.
Guthrie said Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission boats are on standby in the Astor-DeLand area, as are urban search and rescue swiftwater teams should there be a need to rescue people.
“This storm is very large,” he warned. “Even if the eye has passed over your area, it may still be unsafe to go outside due to the heavy winds, flash flooding and isolated tornadoes.”
— Mark Harper
11:05 a.m. | Bridges open for emergency personnel only
About 35 minutes after Daytona Beach's announcement this morning that its bridges were open, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said all bridges to the beachside are now closed to traffic except for essential personnel, until further notice.
"A curfew is in effect for the peninsula," the sheriff's office announced. "Please stay off the roads. Multiple coastal homes in Wilbur-by-the-Sea have collapsed and several other properties are at imminent risk."
The city of Daytona Beach has said residents should stay off the roads until emergency officials advise it is safe. There may be flooded roadways and traffic lights may be down due to power outages. Intersections with traffic lights not working should be treated as a four-way stop.
— Sheldon Gardner and Eileen Zaffiro-Kean
11 a.m. | Shelters still open in Volusia County
Three shelters are still open, and one closed because of low demand, according to a Volusia County news release.
The general population shelter at University High School in Orange City is closed.
The three shelters that are still open:
Creekside Middle School at 6801 Airport Road in Port Orange (general population)
Heritage Middle School at 1001 Parnell Court in Deltona (general population and special needs)
David C. Hinson Middle School at 1860 N. Clyde Morris Blvd. in Daytona Beach (special needs)
All shelters are pet friendly, but people need to bring their own pet supplies.
— Sheldon Gardner
10:53 a.m. | St. Johns River expected to flood through next week
The St. Johns River is rising again amid Tropical Storm Nicole.
The river near Astor reached the major flood stage, which is 4 feet, about 10 p.m. Wednesday, and by Thursday morning it was at 4.5 feet, according to the National Weather Service.
After Ian pounded swaths of Florida last month, the St. Johns River broke a record in the region. The previous record high of 4.62 feet was set in October 1933. Eighty-nine years later it reached 4.71 feet.
Waters will be slow to recede with the river dropping only to 4.4 feet Thursday afternoon, according to the weather service.
The river also broke records post-Ian near DeLand.
The previous record high of 6.33 feet was set in September 1964.
The forecast shows the St. Johns near DeLand will likely stay just above 5 feet through next week, but it doesn’t look like it will reach major flood stage, which is 5.3 feet, according to the weather service.
— Katie Kustura
10:27 a.m. | Wilbur-by-the-Sea homes 'collapsing into ocean'
On Thursday morning, beachfront homeowners in Wilbur-by-the-Sea were facing the nightmare that they had feared as Tropical Storm Nicole approached Volusia and Flagler counties.
“Two of our three properties are collapsing into the ocean,” said Krista Goodrich, property manager for luxury beachfront vacation homes in the 4100 block of South Atlantic Avenue for Salty Dog Vacations.
“FEMA’s here; the National Guard is here; Sheriff Chitwood is here,” she said. “They’re knocking on doors, going door-to-door in Wilbur making everyone leave because the ocean is basically creating sinkholes beneath these houses.
"They are spray-painting driveways to signify that the houses have been cleared," she said.
Goodrich said that, according to Chitwood, seven houses along the stretch of beach already have fallen into the ocean.
“And they anticipate more,” she said. “It’s going to change our landscape forever.”
— Jim Abbott
10:23 a.m. | Veterans Memorial Bridge reopens
The Veterans Memorial Bridge (Orange Ave./Silver Beach) in Daytona Beach has been inspected and cleared by the Florida Department of Transportation to reopen.
The Main Street Bridge remains closed. People are asked to not get out onto the roadways due to downed trees and flooded roadways. City storm updates are posted at CODB.us/Storm.
— Eileen Zaffiro-Kean
9:40 a.m. | Volusia reopens 4 bridges
As of 9 a.m., a few bridges had been inspected and cleared by the Florida Department of Transportation, according to Volusia County government.
International Speedway Boulevard Bridge.
Seabreeze Bridge.
Main Street Bridge.
North Causeway Bridge.
The Florida Department of Transportation is conducting safety assessments on other bridges.
— Sheldon Gardner
9:33 a.m. | A1A in Flagler takes a hit
Tropical Storm Nicole eroded the dunes on A1A in front of the Topaz Motel, 1224 S. Oceanshore Blvd. in Flagler Beach, Thursday. This area of road was closed Wednesday between South Seventh Street and South 16th Street, according to Flagler Beach Police.
A1A at South 12th Street also sustained damage as a result of the storm.
Northbound A1A is closed at Highbridge Road in Volusia County. Southbound A1A is closed at South Central Avenue in Flagler Beach by the water tower, according to a post by the Flagler Beach Police.
— Frank Fernandez
9:09 a.m. | Partial house collapse reported, about 37K without power
As of 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Volusia County officials had received reports of a partial collapse of a single-family home on the coast in Daytona Beach Shores, according to a news release from county spokesman Kevin Captain.
More damage could be ahead with the high tide this morning, according to the release.
One storm-related injury has been reported involving a tree hitting a vehicle.
Officials evacuated buildings in New Smyrna Beach, Wilbur-by-the-Sea and Daytona Beach Shores on Wednesday, including several condo buildings.
Details weren't immediately available about when people would be able to return to the beaches, which were part of a countywide mandatory evacuation order, and what the process will be for returning to coastal structures.
Florida Department of Transportation crews are heading to inspect bridges over the Intracoastal Waterway in Volusia County.
"Bridge openings will be announced as those inspections are completed and the bridges are safe to open," according to Captain.
About 37,000 customers didn't have power, but utility crews were working to restore power, according to Captain.
Officials are still urging people to stay off the beach.
"Condition remain extremely dangerous with life-threatening surf, debris and strong rip currents," according to the release. "Due to the significant wave run-up and this morning's king tide, the shoreline waters are up to the dune lines and sea walls. Individuals must stay off the beach."
The county Emergency Operations Center is still at full activation.
For information, people can call Volusia County's Citizens Information Center at 866-345-0345 or visit volusia.org/pin.
8:15 a.m. | Publix locations to open this afternoon
Publix closed its five beachside grocery stores in Volusia County on Wednesday afternoon out of concern for both customers and their employees because of the approaching Hurricane Nicole.
Those stores were originally expected to reopen at 10 a.m. today. Instead, they are now scheduled to reopen early this afternoon.
What's happening now: See traffic and beach conditions in Daytona Beach area as Nicole nears Florida
Preparing for Nicole: As Nicole looms, Volusia beachside residents, hotels brace for another tropical assault
"Due to current conditions, we are adjusting the reopen time of these stores to 1 p.m. today," said spokeswoman Hannah Herring in an email.
Nicole made landfall in Florida as a category 1 hurricane around 3 a.m. Thursday just south of Vero Beach. It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, but continues to send outer bands of wind and rain throughout much of Central Florida, including Volusia County as it makes its way across the Sunshine State peninsula.
The five beachside Publix stores in question are the chain's locations at 101 E. Granada Blvd. in Ormond Beach, at 1258 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond-by-the-Sea, at 2595 N. Atlantic Ave. in the Bellair Plaza shopping center in Daytona Beach, at 3044 S. Atlantic Ave. in Daytona Beach Shores and at 709 E. 3rd Ave. in New Smyrna Beach.
— Clayton Park
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Tropical Storm Nicole updates: Volusia, Flagler announcements, closings
