Helene damage estimates in Sarasota, Manatee surpass $1 billion

As residents and businesses continue to recover from Hurricane Helene in Sarasota and Manatee counties, staff from local governments have been surveying the damage.

Preliminary damage estimates are tracking over $1 billion across Sarasota and Manatee counties, according to interviews with local government officials. Notably, some areas in the two-county area were still conducting assessments and not yet reporting data as of Oct. 4. 

Preliminary damage estimates from around the region as of Oct. 4 include:

Sarasota County (unincorporated)

• Residential damage estimate: $305.7 million
• Commercial damage assessments remain in progress
  
  

City of Sarasota (including St. Armands)

• Estimated damage: Approximately $300 million
• 450 to 500 residential structures impacted
• 100 to 150 commercial structures impacted
  
  

City of Venice

• Estimated damage: Tens of millions of dollars
• 600 homes or units impacted
• 70 other structures impacted
• South Jetty and Venice Fishing Pier damaged
  
  

City of North Port

• No notable damage reported
  
  

Town of Longboat Key

• Estimated damage: $150 million
• 1,953 properties impacted
  
  

Manatee County (unincorporated)

• Estimated total damage: $283.1 million
• Estimated residential damage: $278.5 million
• Estimated commercial damage: $4.6 million
• 384 residential structures destroyed
• 25 commercial properties destroyed
• 531 residential structures had major damage
• 5 commercial properties had major damage
• 1,787 residential structures minor damage
• 174 commercial properties minor damage
• 329 residential structures affected
• 16 commercial properties affected
  
  

City of Anna Maria

• 845 properties had major damage
• 221 properties had minor damage
  
  

City of Bradenton

• Estimated residential damage: $39.5 million
• 318 residential structures had major damage
• 174 residential structures had minor damage
• 103 residential structures affected
  
  

City of Palmetto

• Estimated residential damage: $29.2 million
• 164 residential structures had major damage
• 333 residential structures had minor damage
• 253 residential structures affected
  
  

Officials in the city of Holmes Beach say they are still conducting damage assessments and did not have data to share as of Oct. 4.

The city of Bradenton Beach reported in a Sept. 29 press release that it was 90 to 95% destroyed by Hurricane Helene, based on a state assessment.

All information provided in this report is preliminary and may evolve over time, officials say.