Beachgoers brave winds to see high surf

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. (WALA) - Red flag conditions combined with wind and some light drizzles didn't make for a prototypical beach day on Pensacola Beach.

That didn't stop hundreds from flooding the sand Sunday and catching a glimpse of the high surf ahead of the arrival of tropical storm Debby.

Nikki Treleaven, was in town from New York and the first thing that stood out to her was the number of people on the beach.

"I was surprised to see how many people are here, and coming in there was a long line of traffic and we had to wait a little bit to get into the parking lot. But I guess everybody else is doing the same thing," Treleaven said.

While beachgoers admired the power of Mother Nature, it was a busy day for W.A. "Buck" Lee, the executive director of the Santa Rosa Island Authority.

"We have four lanes open coming through the toll, and they're packed," Lee said.  "People want to come see the surf; so hopefully they'll get something to eat while they're out here."

Lee says he spent much of the morning and afternoon moving the lifeguard stands in and taking the trash cans off the beach, all preventative measures in response to the wind and rain. He said that if the storm were stronger, the Emergency Operations center would be activated and the beach would be busy with workers.

Lee said, "We'd have some more folks working with me down here making reports, closing down the beach. If it was bad, we'd have to evacuate everything. But it's not. We've got a tropical storm; we had one named Lee back Labor Day of last year."

According to Lee, the Quietwater Boardwalk pier across the street from the beach could be made off-limits to pedestrian traffic if the tides continue to rise.

For now, red flags fly over the beach because of rip currents and large waves. That means only surfers are allowed in the water since they're attached to a floatation device.

Anyone else caught taking a dip could face a $200 fine.