Anna Maria's Rod and Reel Pier vows to rebuild, raises over $56K

Part of the landscape of Anna Maria Island has vanished, after Rod and Reel Pier blew away completely in Hurricane Milton. Not even two weeks earlier, Hurricane Helene had damaged the wooden platform leading to the eatery at the northern end of the island.

Then, Hurricane Milton “finished what Helene started,” Rod and Reel owner Oliver Lemke says. 

“Seeing the photo of the destruction was one of the most difficult moments of my life,” says Lemke, who tells the Business Observer that he has owned the restaurant for 11 months. After the storm, the building was gone.