Hurricane Nicole (2022) in Sebastian — Sebastian, Florida

Hurricane Nicole was the storm that came ashore closest to Sebastian in recent years. The National Hurricane Center reported at 3 a.m. EST on Thursday, November 10, 2022 that the center of Nicole had made landfall on North Hutchinson Island just south of Vero Beach, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 75 mph and a minimum central pressure of 981 mb. That landfall point lies on the Indian River County barrier island south of the Sebastian area, and the storm was moving west-northwest, so its center crossed the county toward Sebastian and Fellsmere in the hours before dawn.

Nicole was a large but weak Category 1 hurricane. Sebastian Daily quoted the National Hurricane Center on December 1, 2022 noting that it was the first November hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Kate in 1985. Locally, Sebastian Daily reported that the eye passed through Sebastian, Fellsmere, Micco and Vero Beach overnight, and later summarized that Sebastian weathered the storm well as the eye moved from Sebastian into Barefoot Bay.

The damage in Sebastian was concentrated on the water rather than in neighborhoods: docks and boats along Indian River Drive on the Indian River Lagoon, the Sebastian Inlet north jetty area, and the barrier island beaches from Ambersand Beach Access to Wabasso Beach Park. The sections below follow that sequence, from the November 9 approach to the repairs that were still being finished in 2025.

On the morning of Wednesday, November 9, 2022, Sebastian Daily reported that Sebastian, Vero Beach, Fellsmere, Micco and Palm Bay were in Nicole's forecast path, that the Indian River County landfill and the Roseland Convenience Center would be closed Wednesday and Thursday, and that Sebastian City Manager Paul Carlisle was urging residents to pick up loose debris in their yards before the winds arrived.

By 6 p.m. that day the National Hurricane Center had upgraded Nicole to a hurricane with 75 mph winds. Sebastian Daily reported that evening that some of the docks in the Indian River Lagoon in Sebastian were coming apart, that at least two anchored boats had washed ashore near Indian River Drive, and that there was beach erosion at Wabasso Beach.

The strongest winds in Sebastian came late on November 9 and early on November 10. The National Weather Service in Melbourne listed a peak gust of 67 mph in Sebastian at 11:00 p.m. on November 9, with 54 mph at Sebastian Municipal Airport at 11:15 p.m. and 60 mph in Vero Beach. Sebastian Daily reported a higher figure, a highest wind speed of 79 mph clocked in Sebastian at around 2:00 to 2:30 a.m. on November 10. The two numbers come from different sources and different times, and the NWS figure is the one in the official storm record.

The NWS post-tropical cyclone report recorded a minimum pressure of 981.0 mb at the Sebastian Municipal Airport station at 0815 UTC on November 10 (3:15 a.m. EST), matching the 981 mb the hurricane center estimated at landfall. By 10 a.m. the National Hurricane Center had discontinued the tropical storm and storm surge warnings for the Florida east coast south of Sebastian Inlet as the weakening storm moved inland toward Orlando.

In Sebastian, Nicole's main impact was on the Indian River Lagoon waterfront. The NWS Melbourne report for Indian River County states that elevated water levels and wave action along the intracoastal waters damaged some boat docks and marinas throughout the county, with scattered downed trees and minor structural damage from winds that peaked at 60 to 70 mph along the coast and 45 to 55 mph inland. The same report lists zero deaths and zero injuries in Indian River County.

On the morning of November 10, 2022, Sebastian Daily reported severe damage to the docks at Sebastian Saltwater, Squid Lips, Capt. Hirams Resort, Tiki Bar and Grill and Mulligans Beach House on Indian River Drive, while noting that the waterfront buildings themselves appeared okay. A lot of debris had washed up on Indian River Drive from the storm surge, and city crews were already clearing the roads. Beached vessels were reported near Fisherman's Landing, in the mangroves along the riverfront, and north of the Main Street boat ramp.

Squid Lips, one of the larger riverfront restaurants, stayed closed. Sebastian Daily reported on December 2, 2022 that the storm hit Sebastian on November 10 during the early morning hours, damaging several docks in the Indian River Lagoon, and that the restaurant planned to reopen by Christmas after work with structural engineers, permits and contractors.

Power outages were countywide but short. Sebastian Daily reported outages at about 26,000 homes in Indian River County on November 10, with crews from Florida Power and Light working through Sebastian neighborhoods. Vero News put the figure at 25,000 people and reported that everyone in the county had power back by early Friday afternoon, November 11, crediting repairs made to the system after Hurricane Ian six weeks earlier.

The barrier island beaches east of Sebastian took a second beating in six weeks, after Hurricane Ian in late September 2022. Vero News reported on December 3, 2022 that Indian River County staff walked the beaches and measured the losses. At Ambersand Beach Access on the north end of the island they observed a 2-to-3-foot lowering of the berm and a dune retreat of 4 to 5 feet. Treasure Shores Beach Park lost 8 feet of dune, and Golden Sands Beach Park showed a 6-foot dune retreat and a 7-foot dune escarpment. At Wabasso Beach Park, they observed a 5-foot lowering of the berm, plus major dune erosion with a 20-to-25-foot dune retreat and a 10-foot dune escarpment.

The county's natural resources director told the Beach and Shore Preservation Advisory Committee that the Indian River County shoreline had been labeled a Category 4 for very significant erosion. The county also reported that the Wabasso Causeway boat ramps experienced damage, and that substantial damage at Wabasso Beach Park and Tracking Station Beach Park closed those beaches until further notice.

At Sebastian Inlet, Nicole's waves undermined the apron along the north side of the inlet and opened dangerous sinkholes. A Sebastian Inlet District spokesperson told Sebastian Daily in January 2023 that the north side had been closed since early November, and that the District had worked with Sebastian Inlet State Park on repairs. The District also began trucking sand to a 1.5-mile stretch of beach south of the inlet, from around the McLarty Treasure Museum to about 1,500 feet south of Ambersand Beach Park, adding about 30,000 cubic yards of sand.

Recovery ran on three tracks: federal assistance, beach and dune rebuilding, and inlet repairs. FEMA approved major disaster declaration DR-4680-FL for Hurricane Nicole on December 13, 2022, covering an incident period of November 7 to 30, 2022, and the U.S. Small Business Administration later offered disaster loans to Indian River County small businesses, including aquaculture businesses, affected by Nicole.

On the beaches, Sebastian Daily reported on January 7, 2023 that Indian River County would close beach parks in succession for dune work, placing compatible sand on the dune and the berm to restore damage caused by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole before sea turtle nesting season began on March 1. Ambersand Beach Access and Golden Sands Beach Park were among the first sites, starting January 9, 2023, while Treasure Shores Beach Park was not expected to close.

The longest repair was at the Sebastian Inlet north jetty. Vero News reported on July 4, 2025 that the Sebastian Inlet District had made emergency repairs after Ian and Nicole using concrete and sandbags, meant to last only until a permanent project could start. The north jetty reopened in summer 2025 after a $1.4 million revetment repair job rebuilt the concrete and steel approach, replacing old coquina with granite boulders. The project was paid for by property taxes collected by the Sebastian Inlet District, which the State of Florida created in 1919.