DUNEDIN, Fla. — There are a lot of places to explore inside Honeymoon Island State Park.
But now it’s a little more challenging to get to some spots.
Paul Paxson and his wife Denise brought their kayaks here to see the changes.
“Heard about it. Just to take another paddle and bring the kayaks and paddle a little bit. Just check it out. See what Mother Nature has been doing out here,” said Paxson.
As we saw from Action Air One, Honeymoon Island is now sliced in two.
Hurricane Idalia and the storms that followed caused the water to cover up part of the beach.
“It’s different. Hurricane Pass has changed so many times and years. Everything else has changed. Three Rooker Bar. A couple of Islands up North,” said Paxson.
Shan Northup has lived in Dunedin most of her life and has seen the changes to Honeymoon’s landscape.
“One thing that I know we need to do is make sure we take care of this because it’s going to go away if we don’t do things to keep it from changing,” said Northup.
Over the years there have been efforts to repair beach erosion here.
And while some parts are still wide enough for plenty of people to set up camp, there is always the threat future storms could do more damage.
Visitors who hike the park should pay attention to when high tide comes. It could leave you stranded on the other side.
“If they are not familiar with it they might get trapped and they could try and go in the water and swim over. They could get caught in the riptides,” said Northup.
Park officials say there are not any plans to do anything to repair the missing chunk of the island.
It’s about a mile and a half from the northernmost parking area.
UPDATE 4/26/24:
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued a statement on this story on Friday, 4/26. It reads:
Like all barrier islands, Honeymoon Island State Park is constantly acted upon and reshaped by natural forces, such as winds, currents and waves. Typically, these changes are gradual, but occasionally significant changes can occur in a very short period.
Earlier this month, the northern portion of the sandspit split in two, creating a new cut. Although, this is not the first time this has occurred at Honeymoon Island. Over the years, an occasional short-lived cut has appeared at this location, only to refill as sand naturally moved from other areas of the beach or sandbars just offshore. Since Honeymoon Island is a barrier island, it will continue to change and develop through this natural process.
Our main priority is the safety of our guests and staff, and signage has been installed to alert visitors to the varying topography. While it may still be relatively shallow, visitors should not attempt to cross the cut as underwater hazards, strong currents, and rapidly changing tides may be present. We would appreciate it if you would include this safety information in your story.
