St. Augustine locals assess damage after Milton passes

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Hurricane Milton brought the winds and the rains to downtown St. Augustine and along the coast of St. Johns County.

Action News Jax came upon a downed tree that just missed falling on an antique shop on Anastasia Island.

The tree did however take down a power line, but the live wire wasn’t the only thing buzzing at the scene.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

“We’ve also got a beehive going on in the tree cavity,” said Bo Sterk with Bees Beyond Borders.

Sterk had to be called out to help remove and re-home the colony of bees that had made their nest in the tree’s trunk.

“The city had a big tractor out to move it off the street. I guess a couple of employees got stung up, so they said ‘oop, we’re done we’re out of here,’” said Sterk.

In the Matanzas River Action News Jax captured images of a sailboat that ran aground and was leaning on the 312 Bridge.

Over in St. Augustine Beach, the high winds and rough seas brought out dozens of curious onlookers.

“It’s getting battered, that’s for sure,” said St. Augustine local Paddie Lamb.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Lamb came out to assess the severity of the beach erosion brought by Milton.

Action News Jax drone footage captured the St. Augustine Pier before the storm, with four columns touching the water.

By mid-day Thursday, six were submerged and another high tide was still around the corner.

“I’m assuming in the next couple of hours where we’re standing will probably get washed away,” said Lamb.

The beach erosion story is a tale as long as time it seems in St. Augustine Beach.

St. Augustine Beach Mayor Dylan Rumrell told us Monday, that whatever erosion occurs, it will be the federal government’s responsibility to renourish.

“They have to keep the beaches in pre-storm condition, and so, at the federal government’s nickel, they have to come back and renourish it within six months,” said Rumrell.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

For locals like Boone Lewis, it’s all part of the post-storm routine residents have come to expect in St. Augustine.

“All things considered, I think the renourishment definitely held up. It’s a pretty serious storm and most of the beach is still here,” said Lewis.

Power outages were also a big story in St. Johns County.

As of 4 PM Thursday, there were still 15,000 customers are without power.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.