‘It crushed everything’: Manasota Key residents return to ruins as Florida continues to grapple with Milton

MANASOTA KEY, Fla. – As the sun rises on another day of devastation, the residents of Southwest Florida’s once-idyllic coastline are left to pick up the pieces and face an uncertain future.

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Damage caused by Hurricane Milton is seen on Manasota Key, Florida, on Oct. 18, 2024.

(Robert Ray / FOX Weather)

After Hurricane Milton, the road to recovery will be long and arduous. Storm surges, tornadoes and relentless flooding transformed towns into a war zone of unprecedented destruction that will take years to repair. With the help of their community and the support of the nation, they hope to rebuild their lives and their ravaged homes.

Manasota Key, a barrier island community in Sarasota County, bore the brunt of Milton. As FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray reported from ground zero, the damage is staggering. Homes have been leveled, businesses are in ruins and the infrastructure is in critical condition.

“Without exaggeration, by far, in our journeys this week covering the aftermath all the way up and down the Gulf Coast, this is the worst structural damage that we have seen and experienced with our own eyes,” Ray said.

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Residents have been allowed to return, but not necessarily to their residences full-time. They’re primarily coming back to assess what’s left of their belongings.

Meghan Jacobs and Ray Cerwinski, owners of Manasota Key Resort, were overwhelmed by the destruction. 

“It just started taking everything in its path,” Cerwinski recalled. “I think here, for this storm, it was more the water than anything. Anywhere that our seawall had failed, it just took buildings. It took plants. It took roads and parking lots. It just crushed everything right up and washed it away.”

Damage caused by Hurricane Milton is seen on Manasota Key, Florida, on Oct. 18, 2024.

(Robert Ray / FOX Weather)

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The resort’s team members are heartbroken; their tears a testament to the countless hours they’ve spent perfecting their oasis for guests.

Like many businesses, the Manasota Key Resort has been in recovery mode since Hurricane Ian and, more recently, Hurricane Helene. Their efforts to rebuild have been shattered, but they remain determined.

Damage caused by Hurricane Milton is seen on Manasota Key, Florida, on Oct. 18, 2024.

(Robert Ray / FOX Weather)

“One of the things we noticed is the community has been so wonderful in times like this that it’s just it’s just devastating to see,” Jacobs said. “We’re hoping we can assess it and rebuild.”

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It’s Cerwinski and Jacobs’s unwavering resilience, coupled with the allure of their prime real estate, that will draw their guests back. Many are already eager to return and support them as they rebuild.

“You got to hold yourself together,” Cerwinski said in an effort to restore some normalcy as soon as possible. “We’re just trying to figure out where we start … but we’ll be back.”