'Business as usual' in Rosemary Beach as recovery from Hurricane Isaias continues
Hurricane Isaias came during fall break, abruptly ending some vacations with a mandatory evacuation order.
By Rachel Flynn | Published: Oct. 16, 2026 at 4:02 AM GMT+2 | Updated: 1 hour ago
ROSEMARY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Hurricane Isaias struck during fall break, prompting a mandatory evacuation and leaving people wondering about the return of normalcy.
However, visitors to Rosemary Beach reported that things are returning to normal, with restaurants, shops, and hotels welcoming back guests.
Kyle Davis, general manager of the Pearl Hotel, said they closed down on Thursday following Walton County’s mandatory evacuation order. The hotel sustained minimal damage from the hurricane and began accepting guests again as early as Sunday morning.
"A majority of those guests coming into the area were here for fall break, and we wanted to make sure they were able to enjoy fall break without any disruption to their stay," Davis said.
Michael Kaplan, a visitor to Rosemary Beach, noted that things were returning to normal after the hurricane.
"But Monday everything was kind of business as usual, other than the beach accesses getting wiped out, but all of the restaurants have been open, it’s been great," Kaplan shared.
Walton County’s Director of Beach Operations reported that their primary focus has been on reopening regional beach access points for the public. As of their latest update, around 8 of the 58 public beach accesses remain closed.
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