Hurricane Debby floods areas of Longboat Key

Town of Longboat Key staff continues to monitor Tropical Storm Debby and coordinate with Sarasota County Emergency Management, according to a town of Longboat Key update at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Longboat Key Town Hall will be closed Monday, Aug. 5. Police, Fire Rescue and Public Works staff will be on the Key. Offices will reopen on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Waste Management has advised there will be no pickup of solid waste and recycling Monday due to the landfill closure by Manatee County. 

The town website will be updated with the pickup schedule when announced. 

Photo by Matt Walsh

Gulf of Mexico Drive between the 4100 block and 6000 block as of 8 a.m. is flooded as well as streets in several neighborhoods, according to the update.

The update includes the following impacts for Longboat Key:

• Rain: A persistent rainband could produce several inches of additional rainfall over the next few hours. Potential for rainfall of up to 12 inches over the five-day period. 
• Storm surge: Storm surge of 2 to 4 feet is still forecast. The next high tide is 1:24 p.m. Monday at 3.3 feet, which will elevate flood levels.
• Flooding: Flooding in low-lying and flood-prone areas is still due to the rainfall associated with this storm. Exercise extreme caution when approaching a flooded roadway, and turn around to avoid driving through standing water.
• Wind: Winds remain strong and should dissipate through this morning and early afternoon. Tornado risk remains a high probability throughout today.
• Power outages could occur. To both report FPL outages or monitor the status of an outage visit FPL.com/storm.html.
• Surge: Surge of up to 2 feet Monday morning.

Dangerous rip currents exist and are a significant risk. Beachgoers should avoid entering the water, swimming or surfing.