- October 2, 2024
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As Longboaters followed the town's hurricane evacuation orders and went to hotels, residents hoped the infamous myth of Longboat Key’s protection against hurricanes would save them once again.
After returning to their homes on Sept. 29, they realized that Hurricane Helene would not go down in history as another storm that spared Longboat Key.
According to a 1984 article documented on LongboatKeyHistory.com, John M. Snyder started recapping Tropical Storm Isidore by explaining the routine of residents preparing for the worst and being spared from these tropical storms and hurricanes.
This September storm left Longboat untouched, turning northwest toward Tampa as it moved from Central Florida. He said the unpredictability of the storm always led to a “flurry of emotional reactions” from Longboaters, which we still see today.
In 1985, the same conclusion was reported of Hurricane Elena, which was a Category 3 hurricane. As the storm hurled toward Longboat, it brushed over it and changed directions northward.
Hurricane Andrew traveled south in 1992 over Homestead, the Everglades and Marco Island with a high-pressure system preventing it from heading north to the Key.
The legend of the Tocobagan Native Americans tribe in Pinellas County and the Calusa tribe in Lee County is whispered around the island to be the answer to Longboat’s long-lived streak of missing storms, reported Observer CEO Matt Walsh in a 2023 opinion piece.
He said the tribes built 20 to 30-foot mounds made from millions of shells, bones and “midden,” which were spiritually blessed to fend off storms and hurricanes.
Walsh also reported parishioners at St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church end each mass with a hurricane prayer to protect the island, especially during hurricane season.
Even with many storms passing by Longboat Key, there have been a few heavy hitters that caused the island disarray.
The first hurricane recorded on LongboatKeyHistory.com was the 1848 hurricane. In “The Story of Sarasota” by Karl H. Grismer, this “granddaddy of all hurricanes” began on Sept. 22, 1848.
Bill Whitaker lived in a cabin on the island at the time. He was surprised he survived the night after hearing the wind with “destructive force” and ships washing ashore in smashed-up pieces by the waves.
Once the storm subsided, Whitaker went to check if his fishing nets were where he left them on the beach before the hurricane hit. He found that the nets had “disappeared in the hurricane” and left a spot of open water. Whitaker decided to name that spot between Lido and Longboat Keys New Pass and it has kept its name since then.
The next notable storm took place in October of 1921. The hurricane destroyed multiple docks on both ends of Longboat and its first school. It also closed down the Longboat Key post office and caused the Key to suffer the loss of many homes and crops. This ended the island’s existence of promising farming locations and the production of numerous crops.
According to the Observer archives, Longboat Key was at the eye of the 1993 “No Name” storm. It is said to have left the most damage to the island in recent years until Hurricane Helene.
On March 12 and 13 of 1993, the “Storm of the Century” caused intense damage to new landscaping on Longboat Club Road and the island’s golf courses. Carports were also destroyed with cars underneath them. A 27-foot sailboat also broke loose during the storm and crashed into a fishing pier in the Ringling Causeway.
While the island will need time to pick up the pieces of Hurricane Helene, Longboaters can only hope that future storms coming to the Gulf will show Longboat mercy through its mythical storm protection.
