This is all I can find...
By ABC12/The Associated Press
DESTIN, Fla. (AP) — (07/11/05)-- Coastal authorities are beginning to get a better look at the damage left behind by Hurricane Dennis.


In Destin, Florida, where the hurricane made landfall, authorities have closed Holiday Isle and Crystal Beach because of significant damage to homes.

Still, early reports indicate only one death in Florida so far -- a man electrocuted by a downed power line in Fort Lauderdale.

Well over half a million homes and businesses in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi have lost power because of the storm. The main utility for Florida's western Panhandle area says customers should be prepared to do without power for three weeks or longer.

The storm surge also washed out about 40 miles of coastal federal highway around the fishing village of St. Marks.

Dennis is now centered over southwestern Alabama and forecasters say heavy rain and tornados are the storm's major problems now.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This story will be only available online for 14 days from its original publishing date.)

</I>

Power is out in a handful of places in Destin (including our Beach TV office) but initial reports indicate damage was minmal and Destin should be back to business as usual within a couple days.

If you have reservations for the next day or two, I would suggest contacting your resort or hotel. If they don't answer the phone, try emailing them.

We should know more later today.

Thank you very much for the update. My reservations for Sandestin aren't until Saturday, July 16, so hopefully all will be fine. I just finished watching a report on Destin, FL from the Weather Channel (www.weather.com). It showed a clip of the Destin Beaches, and the reporter noted that about 6 feet of beach was washed away as far as the eye could see. So, hopefully, it will be okay.

We are going to Destin on July 16,too. Does anyone have current info. on the electricity situation. Will there be grocery stores and resturants open by then?

Just talked to a friend in Destin. Power is on most places - just a few locations without but expect it back on in the next day or so. His comments were that Destin is in great shape! No real damage to speak of other than beach erosion. Most restaurants, shopping centers, grocery stores will be back to business as usual by middle of this week. He said Ivan was a "10", Dennis is a "3". Go on your vacation and have a wonderful time. Destin needs your tourism loyalty.

We were supposed to be in Destin now....however we postponed our vacation awaiting the outcome of Dennis...just called one of the local hotels and they said that Santa Rosa Blvd is closed indefinatly, the road has washed out again. You can park at the fire dept and walk to your condo if you are an owner but that is probably a 5 mile walk...they have no water or sewer right now. Basically our vacation is on hold

Thank you so much for the quick reply. I have been worried all day that our vacation was ruined. Already paid in full and did not get any insurance. We have been all over the panhandle but never to Destin. We have really been looking forward to this trip.

Weather Channel has too many drama queens working there. They HAVE to make everything exciting or no one would watch. Mike Bettes was reporting from the Destin Commons Mall yesterday. One of his comments was "roofs are flying off everywhere!!!. When the camera panned down the street, his "flying roofs" were small pieces of spanish tile lying in the street that had blown off some of the buildings! Don't cancel those vacations.....Destin needs you.

go2destin hit the nail on the head. heh!

Not much of a vacation if you have no water or sewer...not to mention having to walk to your condo. The road is closed....no one in and no one out.

How about Senic Highway 98? Is it closed?

You may not even be able to go. They only allow owners usually when this happens. Last year when Ivan came through. We had reservations in October. We were able to go but that was after a month of clean-up. You might want to reschedule.

Don't worry kristin... although there will be isoalted properties with damage, most of Destin is okay. Power/cable/internet is already back on at the Beach TV office in Destin which is the case for most of Destin.

If your hotel says your reservations are still good, then you should go. Destin did not suffer THAT much damage.

My family is set to leave at 3am tomorrow for a 12 hour drive to Destin. I am staying at the Best Western SummerPlace Inn and only get a busy signal. Don't really understand the maps or the road closure web site but it looks like on my directions I go from I-10, to SR-281, to US-98 (Gulf Breeze Pky) What do you all think? Should I break it to the kids now? or Does it look okay for me to fly by the seat of my pants and go at 3am tomorrow? Help! Seriously map challenged.

With kids, I'd definitely want to confirm the reservations will still be good. But that's just me.

If it comes right down to it, you could always head East 45 minutes to Panama City Beach. All of our resorts/hotels seem to be open and operational.

As for traveling, you will not be able to cross Okaloosa Island on HWY 98, or the Bay Bridge on 331, so you may want to drive a little further east on I-10 to HWY 79 South to the West end of Panama City Beach. Then take a right on HWY 98 West to Destin. It's gonna add more than an hour to your trip, but you'll know the roads are open. Just a suggestion.