A portion of a pier in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea collapsed Thursday morning due to the impacts from Hurricane Nicole.
The section of Anglins Fishing Pier, located off Commercial Boulevard, collapsed as the storm made landfall just over 90 miles north in Hutchinson Island.
"In a matter of five minutes, the ocean went from empty to boards just drifting down south," said Mike Barger, who has lived in the area for 25 years. "The storm was 90 miles from here and it still destroyed the pier."
No injuries were reported.
“Anglins Fishing Pier is such an iconic landmark in our town, and seeing it damaged is heartbreaking. While the pier is privately owned, I know our town will do what we can to support the property owner in the coming days and months,” Mayor Chris Vincent said in a statement.
The pier Is the longest in South Florida and opened in November 1963. It has suffered damage before from various storms, including substantial damage from Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Hurricane Irma in 2017.
"The waves would crash underneath and shoot the water underneath and spraying up in between so you knew the pounding was coming,' said photographer Brooke Trace. "It’s a shame because we all love the pier so much. It’s an icon."
Nicole — which made landfall on North Hutchinson Island south of Vero Beach — had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph before being downgraded to a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph.
After landfall, Nicole's center is then expected to move across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia and into the Carolinas. It's expected to weaken as it moves across Florida and is likely to become a post-tropical cyclone by Friday afternoon.
