ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Fla. — Six months ago, Hurricane Milton destroyed Anna Maria Island's iconic Rod and Reel Pier Restaurant. Now, the pier still has damage with a fence blocking access and a walkway that is completely gone.
Owner Oliver Lemke is fundraising to rebuild, but in the meantime, it is finding new ways to open its doors in a different location. Rod and Reel is temporarily open on East Bay Drive, a move Lemke told us has been in the works since January.
"For three reasons: to get the people back to work, um, to stay on people's minds so they wouldn't forget about us and the third is to raise some money to rebuild the pier," Lemke said.
Lemke said all the money made at the temporary location will go directly to rebuilding the pier. Lemke plans to renovate the new location to bring as much of the feel of Rod and Reel to the place as possible.
In addition to opening the temporary location, Lemke launched a GoFundMe, which has raised $97,000 of its $300,000 goal.
"If there had just been a trooper up there, maybe this whole thing could have been avoided."
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