Florida RV Dealers Bracing for Hurricane Milton’s Impact – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
Hurricane Milton is weakening slightly but remains a ferocious storm that could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg, engulfing the populous region with towering storm surges and turning debris from Helene’s devastation 12 days ago into projectiles, according to an Associated Press report.
After having just dealt with Hurricane Helene, which left a path of destruction from Florida to the Western Carolinas and into the southern Appalachians, Florida’s RV dealers are now bracing for Milton, which some experts are saying will be an even more devastating storm, when it makes landfall late Wednesday/early Thursday.
“You know, being from Florida and seeing storms kind of come and go, there’s sometimes kind of a lackadaisical attitude around here with regard to storms when they see them coming. But this time it has a whole different feel. I mean, everybody – from small businesses up to big ones – is taking this very seriously,” said Dave Kelly, executive director of the Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA). “I’ve never seen the interstate so backed up with people evacuating. I’ve never seen them telling pretty much the entire population of Pinellas County (near Tampa) to get out, and, again, people are taking it very seriously. It’s a big storm and, unfortunately for the track that it’s heading in, it’s going to affect a lot of people.”
Suffice to say that it’s got everybody’s attention.
“Absolutely, they’re making it very clear that it’s a very serious storm,” Kelly continued. “Like I said yesterday, the interstate has been absolutely packed going north. I mean, people are taking this very seriously and getting out of the way of the eye of the storm.”
FRVTA membership represents about 350 Florida locations. Given all the moving parts, however, Kelly couldn’t speak in any detail at this point about too many companies. “Yes, at this point, dealers and businesses are still prepping for the storm. We did reach out to a few of our local Tampa guys to see what their plans are, having avoided the worst impact of Hurricane Helene, which kind of scooted up the coast. But this one coming right at us is a lot more serious than just being skirted by one,” Kelly said.
As for FRVTA’s staff, he added, some are evacuating including one who lives in manufactured housing – officials are telling everyone who lives in manufactured housing to get out – who is going to stay with their son and daughter-in-law in their home. Most everyone else, he said, is pretty much inland and not in evacuation areas.
“I’m probably going to have a lot of people at my house, at least for the first night ‘til the thing goes through,” Kelly said. “I have three brothers who live in the south Tampa area, which is prone to flooding issues, so they’re probably going to come up and stay the night and reassess everything in the morning. My two daughters are up in Gainesville in college, so they’re out of the eye of the storm so they’re just going to stay up there.”
FRVTA’s staff is hoping to return to their evacuated offices by Friday. “Good Lord willing, and we’ll reach out then to our members and see how they fared,” Kelly said.
Kelly’s message to FRVTA’s membership: “Well, I don’t think I have to say it, but I suggest that everyone take this very seriously. I know the dealers that I’ve talked to are putting the smaller units they can in service bays and trying to get them indoors. As for those and the larger ones, they’re trying to get everything away from trees and any branches and that kind of thing. And they’re trying to put their motorhomes up against their rollup doors just to block the doors from the wind. So, it’s a very serious storm and we’re taking it extremely seriously.”
“This is a very serious storm,” said Blue Compass RV President & CEO Jon Ferrando, who’s 104-store dealer network is based in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. “Without question on the west coast of Florida, it’s definitely a significant event. We have a lot of experience with hurricanes in Florida and at Blue Compass, so we’re in the preparation mode to ensure that our associates are safe. We’ll probably lose a few days of business here without question and we’re also working hard to protect our inventory and make sure that it’s not on lower grounds more prone to flooding. So, we’re taking every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of our associates and customers while protecting our assets.”
Campers Inn RV has one dealership in Ocala, Fla., which is in the direct path of the hurricane, as well as another location further northeast in Jacksonville. Chief Operating Officer Ben Hirsch said the dealership has been through this before and has implemented its standard operating procedures to prepare for the storm.
“We’re getting ready with all of our preparations like corralling the units and putting all jacks down,” Hirsch told RVBusiness this morning. “But, most important to us is the safety of our teammates so we’re making sure we give them some time off to evacuate if they want to evacuate and get out of Dodge. That’s more important, especially down in the Ocala area than in Jacksonville based on where the hurricane is going.”
Forecasters are now saying Milton is expected to make landfall on the west coast of Florida late Wednesday and early Thursday as a Category 3 storm, which have winds of 111-129 mph (180-210 kph). Milton could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean, a track that would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Carolinas. Florida officials continue to warn residents not to bank on the storm weakening. Florida’s Division of Emergency Management offers this list of counties under evacuation orders.
Many venues, both public and private, have opened their lands to evacuees including the Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) campgrounds in Georgia. The Speedway and Henry County Emergency Management Agency are offering evacuees free places to camp. They’re offering spots for RVs at their “Legends Premium Campground” and spots to pitch a tent at their “Legends Tent Campgrounds.”
“While our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those affected by Hurricane Helene, we’re committed to helping when storms affect communities in the southeast whenever we can,” AMS Executive Vice President Brandon Hutchison said in a statement. “We have hundreds of acres of campgrounds and opening up our facility is an easy choice to make. If you’re in Milton’s path and looking for a place to stay, we’re here for you.”
Similarly, many RV parks and campgrounds in Alabama are open and taking reservations from evacuees, according to a report by WIAT, the CBS television affiliate in Birmingham, Ala. Hoover Met RV Park officials, which also supported evacuees from Helene, said the complex will give free shelter to those seeking refuge — as long as they have identification showing they’re from affected areas.
