Hurricane Matthew just scraped South Florida, but the erosion of the beaches in Vero Beach has caused massive damage.
Board walks are damaged, parts of a parking lot were simply swallowed and locals said more than half of of the sand dune is gone.
“All this is from Matthew," said Vero Beach resident Kyndel Rock. "The whole broad walk broke off. It’s really sad because this broad walk has been here forever.”
The Vero Beach community is used to the threat of hurricanes. Beth Erisken, manager at the Ocean Grill said they're still anxious every time a hurricane is coming close to the area.
“We prepare for the worst, we take our recipes and we hope for the best,” Eriksen said.
Indian River county officials said nearly 16 miles of beach has eroded since Mathhew, costing around $15 million in damages. Officials said they're hoping federal money might be a way to pay for the damages.
“It’s kind of scary," Rock said.
It's especially scary for businesses. Eriksen said erosion is nothing new for them.
“When the restaurant was first built, the beach was 300 yards away," Erisken said. "So, seeing that we’re this close you can see that we’ve lost a lot of beach over the years in Vero Beach.”
Despite all the damages, those in the area are still in love with their oceanfront.
“Yeah it’s definitely taken an impact but it’s still beautiful here," said Vero Beach resident Rick Rogers.