MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — When Hurricane Milton passed through Anna Maria Island, it devastated the area, including its iconic piers. Both the Anna Maria City Pier and the Rod & Reel Pier were damaged, but the Rod & Reel Pier restaurant was completely destroyed, leaving nothing at the end of what once was the pier.
What You Need To Know
- Rod & Reel Pier restaurant and pier were destroyed due to Hurricane Helene and Milton
- David Clark, a server at Rod & Reel, is having to find other work as there is no timeframe on when the restaurant will be back
- Owner asking for donations through GoFundMe
David Clark, a Bradenton resident who had worked as a server at the Rod & Reel Pier Restaurant since 2022, saw the place he called his second home vanish. According to the Rod & Reel Pier’s Facebook page, they are looking to rebuild.
“That’s the window to the kitchen, and I have no idea what this is,” Clark said, pointing out pieces of debris from the once-bustling restaurant.
Now, floating debris is all that’s left of the Rod & Reel Pier Restaurant.
“Unbelievable. I’m at a loss for words,” he said.
When Hurricane Milton hit Anna Maria Island, it completely wrecked the pier, leaving no trace of the restaurant. Clark had been a server there for two years and considered his coworkers family.
“Everyone here was very close. I loved it. It was fun, interacting with different people every single day,” he explained.
Since the storm, he has been out of work with no income. However, he says he always has a plan in place for hard times.
“My uncle taught me years and years ago to save up wherever you’re working — three months of your bills — and stash it away somewhere only you know about. I’ve been trying to survive off that,” he said.
Rod & Reel Pier officials have indicated that they are working on plans to rebuild the pier and restaurant, but until then, employees like Clark are searching for jobs.
“Just server jobs — things that are similar to the service industry,” he said.
If the restaurant is rebuilt, Clark says he would gladly work there again.
“It’s like a nice, disorganized, dysfunctional family that just works together and creates a fun atmosphere for all the guests. I don’t know… it’s like a world of its own,” he said.
He’s hopeful that the pier and restaurant will return to what they once were — a place he called his second home.
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