As a low-lying coastal Florida community with the Gulf of Mexico overwhelming the city’s waterway, Crystal River Mayor and lifelong resident Joe Meek said Hurricane Idalia fueled the area's worst storm surge since the "no-name" hurricane three decades ago.

"We saw significant flooding there, and I would say that this storm surge is on par with that," Meek, 43, told USA TODAY on Wednesday. "And that was our worst flooding event we had in decades."

Hurricane Idalia, now a tropical storm, barreled through Florida’s Big Bend early Wednesday as a Category 3 tropical cyclone, causing calamitous storm surge and flooding for hundreds of miles. The system then made its way through southeastern Georgia and the Carolinas Wednesday evening.

While officials are still calculating totals, Meek estimates Crystal River, a tourism hub on the coast of western Florida, was hit with seven to nine feet of storm surge. "Most of the roads throughout the city at this point are still underwater," Meek confirmed.

Crystal River is home to about 3,500 residents and attracts a wide tourist crowd for its natural attractions, including wildlife refuges, natural springs, and the Crystal River waterway, Meek said.

Older homes face the brunt of flooding

Meek’s home, a newer structure with the first floor about 15 feet off the ground, was spared from the surge Wednesday. Other homes in Crystal River, many of them older structures, weren’t as lucky.

Newer building codes require homes to be built higher off the ground to prevent damage in flood events, according to the mayor. But older homes that were built before codes were updated sit lower and are often hardest hit in surges, Meek said, a problem exacerbated in coastal communities.

The surge Wednesday brought four to six feet of water into some Crystal River homes, he noted.

"As we get newer structures, we will ensure that as we build, we plan for these types of things going forward," Meek said.

'COULDN'T BELIEVE IT':Floridians emerge from Idalia's destruction with hopes to recover

Tourism is the town’s driving force

As the proudly touted home of the manatee with an active downtown and federal wildlife sanctuaries, Meek said tourism is Crystal River’s driving economic force. Citrus County welcomes about one million tourists a year, he noted.

While there’s some concern about the flood's effect on tourism, Meek said Crystal River’s visitors generally come for the natural sights, which are still well intact, and he anticipates speedy recovery.

"Our tourists come to enjoy the river, and once the tide goes down, which it is right now, obviously the river is there, and the ability to enjoy that is there," Meek said.

Right now, the mayor’s focus is on the residents and getting them back in their homes, he said.

"It’s a sad day for Crystal River, but we’re a resilient community that has been through this before, and I'm confident that we will come out of it stronger," Meek said. "But unfortunately, we've got a lot of people that are hurting right now."

Rebuilding efforts ahead

While the town was spared from wind damage as Hurricane Idalia steered further west from Crystal River, Meek said he anticipates significant flood damage to homes and businesses because of the storm surge, with recovery expected to take up to a year.

The water has begun to recede Wednesday, but a lot of standing water remains in the way of recovery efforts. Meek said once the roads are clear, residents will be allowed to return.

"We've been through this before. We know what needs to happen," the mayor said. "And as soon as the water recedes, and we’re able to start cleaning up, we will do that."

Many residents and business owners heeded warnings about the storm before it was too late, Meek said, and evacuations began two days ago.

Crystal River City Council members met for the first time after Hurricane Idalia in a regular meeting on Sept. 6. Matters that were to be deliberated upon at the scheduled Aug. 28 session, canceled as the storm was bearing down on Florida, were addressed in both the regular meeting and the subsequent Special Budget Hearing that immediately followed.

During the regular meeting, council members made the unanimous decision to push back until Sept. 11 Resolution No. 23-R-28 Indian Waters, Phase 1 Sewer Expansion Project Annual Rate Resolution.

However, Resolution No. 23-R-29 and Resolution No. 23-ER-02 were both unanimously approved by the City Council. The first resolution calls for adjusting the solid waste rate, which the city pays in tipping fees to the county. As City Manager Douglas Baber explained, the county has increased its cost, so he was asking the OK to include a 4 percent Consumer Price Index to go along with the increased fee, which will be passed along to residents.

Get more from the Citrus County Chronicle

“Otherwise, the city eats the cost,” Baber said.

The second resolution calls for appropriating additional emergency funding in the amount of $750,000 to address issues related to Hurricane Idalia.

Following the vote, Mayor Joe Meek expressed gratitude that the city’s finances were in excellent shape to allow for the emergency allocation.

Following the adjournment of the regular meeting, the special budget meeting covered three items – appearing as Items 7A, 7B and 7C on the agenda – beginning with the proposed millage rate for Fiscal Year 2023-24. At the request of the council, City Clerk Mia Fink read aloud the proposal, Resolution No. 23-R-21, which calls for a tentative TRIM rate of 6.59 mills; that figure is the same as is for the current fiscal year.

“I do want to make sure we say that for the record, we are not raising our millage rate,” Meek said, and then complimented Finance Director Michelle K. Russell. “We’ve got a healthy reserve balance, Michelle. Thank you.” He then asked if anyone had any questions of Russell, which no one did. Nor did anyone from the public question or comment on the proposed millage rate.

Councilman Ken Brown, likewise, expressed his support keeping the millage rate unchanged.

“I’m watching all over the state,” he said. “Other cities are finally waking up and realizing they’ve got to raise their millage rate because of the amendment because they’re broke. So we’re in a really good position.”

Resolution No. 23-R-22 (Item 7B) called for adopting the tentative budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24 on first hearing; the second public and final hearing will take place Sept. 20. It is projected it will result in adding $7,527,103 into the general fund. Expenses are projected to amount to $7,519,043, leaving a surplus of $8,060.

The third and final item, Resolution No. 23-R-23 (Item 7C) regarded the proposed budget for the Community Redevelopment Agency. Proposed expectation on total revenues is projected at $5,561,198, while total expenditures are projected to come in at $4,544,593.

All three items were passed on first hearing with 5-0 voice votes in favor.

Second hearings on the above will be presented at either the Sept. 11 or the Sept. 20 meeting.

What is a ‘TRIM’ rate?

Every homeowner in Florida receives a letter from their county property appraiser about the second week of August. This letter is called a Truth in Millage Rate (TRIM) notice, and it is required by law. The main purpose is to officially inform a property owner what the Property Appraiser came up with as a Market Value (sometimes called a “Just Value.”). The Market Value is used to determine the initial basis of one’s tax bill.

What is a millage rate?

Property taxes in Florida are implemented in millage rates. A millage rate is one-tenth of a percent, which equates to $1 in taxes for every $1,000 in home value. A number of different authorities, including counties, municipalities, school boards and special districts, can collect these taxes. As an example, the owner of a property that has a taxable value of $100,000 and is subject to a millage rate of 5.2 would owe $520 in property tax.

However, in Florida, there exists a homestead exemption. This exemption is a valuable property tax benefit that can save homeowners up to $50,000 on their taxable value. The first $25,000 of this exemption applies to all taxing authorities. The second $25,000 excludes School Board taxes and applies to properties with assessed values greater than $50,000.

Crystal River won’t soon forget Hurricane Idalia.

Storm surge combined with high tides brought flood waters pouring into Citrus County’s coastal city, eliciting painful memories of Hurricane Hermine in 2016 and the March 1993 “no-name” storm.

“This is a terrible flood event,” Josh Wooten, President and CEO of the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce, said on a Facebook video message. “We’ve talked with some of the locals who are outside who say it’s worse than Hermine.”

The Citrus County Sheriff’s office said it was rescuing residents stranded by high water. Video showed Sheriff’s airboats carrying passengers along U.S. 19.

Sixty people had been rescued by late afternoon, most in Crystal River. Others were awaiting rescue, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Citrus County’s coastal communities of Crystal River, Ozello and Homosassa are susceptible to storm surge with high tides. All three were inundated with Idalia storm surge as the hurricane moved north through the Gulf of Mexico.

Crystal River Mayor Joe Meek posted photos of a flooded downtown, all highways and roads impassable other than by watercraft.

“Surge levels continue to rise, unfortunately water will be in a substantial number of homes throughout the city at this point,” Meek wrote.

The Sheriff’s Office asked citizens to stay away from the county’s west side.

Wooten said the flooding is widespread and deep.

“There is severe damage to residents and businesses west of U.S. 19, and those on U.S. 19,” he said.

Sheriff Mike Prendergast said in a news conference that many people ignored the county’s mandatory evacuation order.

“When Hurricane Idalia was making landfall in the Big Bend area, there were still people home in Crystal River. There were still people home in Homosassa and down in Chassahowitzka,” he said. “We don’t have the assets to knock on every person’s door. That’s why we use mass notifications systems.”

No fatalities were reported, but Prendergast said one person was severely injured after touching a live electrical wire.

Prendergast said water was four feet deep in downtown Crystal River.

“I’ve never seen a dumpster floating down Highway 19,” he said, “but I saw two of those today.”

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. - The home of the headwaters of Crystal River is also the only Federal refuge specifically created to protect the Florida Manatee.

Kings Bay is fed by more than 70 freshwater springs, making it the second-largest springs group in the state.

The water is a constant 72 degrees year-round.

In the summer, that makes Kings Bay cooler than the Gulf waters and in the winter, it's warmer.

That constant temperature and beautiful natural environment make a favorable habitat for some of the state's largest water mammals, the manatee.

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At Nature's Discovery in Crystal River, they will take you out on King's Bay to experience the water and have a special experience.

"We take people swimming with the manatees," stated Puahina Shiver. She is a manatee tour guide for Nature's Discovery.

"You start in our shop. we provide wetsuits, masks, snorkels and pool noodles. We take our boat out along King's Bay where we look for manatees to swim with(and) when we find a good situation, we get everyone comfortable and swim with a manatee."

The daily expeditions into Kings Bay have taught guides like Shiver what to look for in finding the manatees as they float in the beautiful waters offshore.

"We practice passive observation," she said. "We like to keep a certain distance."

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And that is important as it is against the law to touch or otherwise harass marine wildlife like manatees.

"It's the only place in the country that you can legally do it," admitted Shiver when asked about swimming with the manatees.

Visitors can see manatees year-round in Kings Bay, but the chances are better in winter when the air and water are cold.

"During the winter time, we have closer to 500 to 1000 manatees that you're going to swim with," explained Shiver. "During the winter times, you're going to have more manatees coming into the bay than the summer months."

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But the unique features of the bay make for viewing all year long.

"Our guests usually come from all over the world. They don't know what to expect," said Shiver. "Overall, it's an experience that they have forever."

To learn more about Nature's Discovery and how to book your own tour, click here.

To learn more about Kings Bay, click here.

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CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – Hurricane Idalia is expected to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend Wednesday morning as a powerful Category 4 storm, bringing a devastating storm surge along with it.

State leaders have warned that the storm surge could reach 15 feet.

“It would wipe a lot of (the community) out,” said one resident of Crystal River in Citrus County. “People’s homes would be gone. Businesses would be gone.”

The area is currently under a mandatory evacuation order.

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Despite that, some people living in the Big Bend area are choosing to ride out the storm in their homes.

News 6 spotted some people fishing as they awaited Idalia.

Idalia strengthened into a category 2 hurricane Tuesday afternoon.

As of Tuesday at 5 p.m., Idalia was about 195 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, moving north at 16 mph while packing 100 mph winds. Hurricane-force winds extend outward 25 miles from the center, while tropical storm-force winds extend 160 miles from the center of the storm.