Vacations ruined by Tropical Storm Debby

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - Vacation plans were ruined for many visitors to Tampa Bay, thanks to Tropical Storm Debby.

Mary Williams and her family were visiting from Chicago. They didn’t expect to find worse weather in St. Pete Beach than back home.

“We were going to go by the pool and on the beach, but with the rain and winds and tornado warnings, we ended up sitting in our rooms all day and all night,” Williams said.

When they returned to their hotel, the Sirata Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach, they learned the storm had knocked out power to the entire building.

“It was too wet and rainy to be outside, but you had no power inside. What did you do in the hotel room?” asked reporter Michael George.

“Just stay there and used our iPhones and iPods, and that was about it,” Williams said.

The power was finally restored Monday morning, right around the time Pinellas County finally got a break from the rain.

People packed Clearwater Beach to enjoy the sand and surf, but even there, things didn’t work out as planned.

Some lifeguard stations had been partially buried in the sand, due to erosion. While lifeguards were on working, they were unable to use their stations.  As a result, beach-goers were told to stay out of the surf.

Still, vacationers made the best of things during the dry hours.

“At least this, right here, is beautiful. So we’re going to get out and enjoy that,” said Williams, pointing to the beach.