PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Imagine moving into your brand-new, multi-million community development, which is designed to withstand hurricane-force winds, only for a massive tornado to rip through it and destroy the beloved Publix nearby.
On Wednesday, Hurricane Milton spawned a tornado that did precisely that.
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The tornado ripped through a brand-new home development, tearing off roofs, ripping chunks of concrete, crushing garages, flipping cars, smashing windows, and destroying a beloved Publix that hadn’t even opened yet.
The National Weather Service confirmed an EF3 tornado touched down in the far western portion of Palm Beach Gardens and caused the damage.
It’s extremely rare for Florida to have significant and devasting tornadoes. The weather service rates tornadoes on an Enhanced Fujita Scale of 0 to 5. According to the National Weather Service, the EF3 Tornado produced winds in Palm Beach Gardens between 136 and 165 mph.
Several confirmed tornadoes developed yesterday associated with Milton. Here's a very preliminary overview of the tracks of these tornadoes. pic.twitter.com/TBwo4x3R0k
— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) October 10, 2024
The new Publix was scheduled to open at the end of the year. The 49,000-square-foot supermarket would also have an indoor seating area for customers, according to a Publix spokesperson.
The Publix will be part of a large home community, enclosed with stores, restaurants and entertainment.
Candice Temple, the city’s communications director, said Publix will rebuild the market. At this point, she added, the timeline of opening is unknown.
According to the Palm Beach Post, crews surveying the wreckage found considerable structural damage to “brand new, well-built homes” in Avenir. This neighborhood sits at the western end of Northlake Boulevard, north of The Acreage.
According to the Florida Building Code, homes today are supposed to be suited to withstand hurricane winds and tornadoes. In Palm Beach County, homes are required to withstand a minimum of 120 mph. In Jacksonville, homes must be built to withstand a minimum of 100 mph.
According to Echo Find Properties, Avenir is a subdivision of Palm Beach Gardens Homes, a community of 3,900 homes; only 1.1% were occupied on Wednesday.