There are few things that are more ‘Florida’ than fishing and start of hurricane season preparations. Florida is commonly referred to as the Fishing Capital of the World with the largest recreational fishery in the country; there are about 3.1 million anglers in the state. Living by the coast provides quick and easy access to fishing locations. However, these regions are also prone to impact by tropical storms and other extreme weather events. The hurricane season of 2024 was brutal on Florida’s west coast, causing billions of dollars’ worth of structural damage from storm surge, flooding and high winds. Helene produced record storm surge and widespread inundation in the Tampa Bay region, and Milton delivered strong winds and additional surge damage less than two weeks later. Together, these storms resulted in catastrophic damage to several fishing piers and associated facilities, loss of access to key fishing sites, and localized collapse or removal of pile-supported structures. This presentation reviews the results of a year-long social survey directed at Tampa Bay’s fishing community to assess the impact of these storm events and provides a glimpse into how resilient these regional fishing communities are to established fishing sites throughout the region.