Hurricane Isaias went through on Friday night. By Saturday noon, Capt. Mike King and the crew of the Hiliner were back at the Destin docks grilling triggerfish. They had come home through the Intracoastal, which captains call the ditch. King told The Destin Log there was "lots of lumber in the water," and that once they got west of the Mid-Bay Bridge, "it wasn't too bad."
That Saturday cookout tells you a lot about Destin a week and a half later. Isaias made landfall near Destin at about 9:30 p.m. on October 9 as a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds, according to the Governor's office. The City of Destin calls it the city's first hurricane in about 20 years. The harbor recovered within days. The streets behind it have a schedule that runs to the end of the month. Those two schedules end almost together, and the Fishing Rodeo's final day falls right where they meet.
The Fleet Left Before the Storm, So It Came Back Fast
The harbor bounced back quickly because so much of it got out of the way in time. The Destin Log reported that charter boats went to St. Andrews Marina in Panama City, to Bay Point, or rode the storm out at anchor in the Intracoastal and the bays and bayous. Capt. Cliff Atwell of the Reel Grace planned an early Sunday caravan back by way of the Gulf. He explained the wait this way: "all the debris and logs wash off the banks. It's kind of dangerous to drive in it."
On shore, the boards came down just as fast. Missy and Chris Schofield and their crew spent Saturday morning pulling tarps and plywood off the Boathouse Oyster Bar. "It's not bad at all. We boarded up ... it is completely dry in there," Missy Schofield told The Destin Log. Boathouse was open again by Sunday. The paper reported that other businesses right on the harbor also had minimal damage and reopened quickly.
She added one more line that longtime locals will appreciate: "The Destin Dome held."
Three Days Off, Then a 64.8-Pound Amberjack
With the boats back and the docks dry, the Rodeo was next. The 78th Destin Fishing Rodeo runs October 1 through 31, with free public weigh-ins every day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. behind AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar. The storm shut it down for three days. On Sunday the Rodeo board asked for help, and The Destin Log reported that "the people showed up." By Monday morning the scales were back up, the merchandise trailer was restocked, and the barge was ready to weigh fish at 10 a.m.
According to The Destin Log's photo gallery, the first day back, October 12, was a full one:
- Jason Wommack weighed a 64.8-pound amberjack caught aboard the Un Reel with Capt. Justin Destin.
- Kathy Case got on the board with a 48.6-pound amberjack from the 100 Proof with Capt. Allen Staples.
- Brady Irving brought in a 56.4-pound amberjack aboard the Sexton's Pride with Capt. William Sexton, and that boat also weighed a 13-pound red snapper.
The same Destin Log gallery has a reminder for anyone who wants to fish the final stretch. A 2.6-pound pompano caught from the beach that day didn't count because the angler hadn't entered. To be eligible, you have to register the day before you plan to fish.
The barge restart confirms the weigh-in station is running. For hours at AJ's restaurant itself, check with AJ's directly.
The Streets Run on a 17-Day Clock
Once you leave the harbor, recovery runs on a slower schedule. City debris collection started Thursday, October 15. Crews work sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. They began in West Destin and assigned one truck to the Crystal Beach area. The City's collection plan estimates about 17 days for the first pass, with a second pass later. Contractor T.F.R. Enterprises, Inc. is collecting the debris, and Volkert, Inc. is monitoring the work.
Count 17 days from October 15 and the first pass runs right up to the end of the month. By that estimate, crews will be about halfway through on Thursday, October 22. If your street hasn't been reached yet, that's expected. The City says crews will work through the community systematically and may come back to the same neighborhood more than once.
The City's October 14 notice asks residents to do four things while the trucks are out:
- Keep cars off City streets so collection equipment can work safely.
- Pile vegetative debris loosely along the public right-of-way. Don't bag it, and keep it separate from construction and demolition debris and household garbage.
- Keep piles clear of roadways, sidewalks, storm drains, mailboxes and utility equipment.
- Keep children and pedestrians away from debris piles and collection trucks.
Different trucks handle different kinds of debris at different times. If one pile on your curb is picked up and the other is still there, that's normal and not a sign you were missed. The contractor is also dealing with eligible hazardous leaning trees and hanging limbs. Questions go to City of Destin Public Works at 850-837-6869.
The Water Has Its Own Clock
The harbor is back and the streets are being cleared, but the Gulf isn't yet a place to swim. On October 13, WEAR reported that the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County was advising people to stay out of coastal waters until bacterial testing showed acceptable levels. The department also advised avoiding pools until they've been cleaned and, for public pools, approved to reopen. It said to avoid contact with contaminated water and flooded areas too.
That advisory ends when test results come back, not on a set date. Check the Department of Health in Okaloosa County for the current status before your first beach morning back. Fishing offshore and swimming at the beach aren't on the same timeline right now. Boats have been weighing amberjack since October 12, while swimming at the shoreline waits on lab results.
Where the Clocks Meet
This is the overlap that matters for the rest of the month. If the City's 17-day estimate holds, the first debris pass wraps up close to the Rodeo's last day. Here's the remaining Rodeo calendar from the Destin Fishing Rodeo's events page, which was published in September, before the storm:
- Saturday, October 24: The 4th Annual Miss Destin Mingle brings past Miss Destins back for an afternoon harbor cruise and photos at the weigh-in.
- Saturday, October 31: Halloween on the Harbor, which the Rodeo calls the largest Halloween party on Destin Harbor, with captains, anglers, judges, Miss Destin and volunteers in costume. It's also the Rodeo's listed final day.
- Thursday, November 5, at 5:30 p.m.: The 78th Annual Destin Fishing Rodeo Awards in the downstairs restaurant at AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar.
Bruce Cheves Day and the Ringing of the Bell came on Friday, October 16. That's the day the Rodeo honors its late weighmaster of 41 years and remembers community members lost during the year.
Two other organizers also have dates on the late-October calendar. HarborWalk Village lists Rocktober Nights on Saturdays, with concerts from 6 to 9 p.m. and fireworks at 9 p.m. on October 24 and 31, plus a Halloween Spooktacular on October 24. The City of Destin's calendar lists the 26th Annual Fall Festival for Monday, October 26, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Destin Community Center, 101 Stahlman Avenue. Admission is one non-perishable food item, and the evening includes games, costume and jack-o'-lantern contests, and food for sale. The storm hit after the Rodeo and HarborWalk schedules were posted, so check with each organizer before you head out.
If you live along the Crystal Beach stretch or elsewhere in West Destin where the trucks started, Halloween on the Harbor may be one of the first weekends with your curb clear and the Rodeo still running. Neighborhoods farther along the route may get their first pass close to the night the barge closes. Either way, the scales behind AJ's stay open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day through October 31, which is long enough to see one more big amberjack hit the board.
Isaias put the Rodeo on pause for three days. If you're a Destin homeowner wondering how the storm figures into your property's value, The Joe Real Estate can give you a local read on the market as Destin finishes its recovery. Get Your Free Home Valuation whenever you're ready, even if that's after your debris pile is gone.
