COCONUT GROVE, Fla. – Peacock Park, a popular 9.4-acre meeting place in Miami's Coconut Grove, faces Biscayne Bay. After Hurricane Irma's Sunday hit, the area was going to need some clean up.
The storm surge spit out a small boat all the way to the middle of the park built to honor Charles and Isabella Peacock, the builders of the Bayview House -- Miami's first hotel in 1883. The hoteliers attracted the families from the Bahamas that gave the Grove the Caribbean flare the neighborhood has today.
Aside from being a part of Miami's history, the park at 2820 McFarlane Road has a crowd faithful to outdoor picnicking by the sea breeze.
The softball teams were going to have to wait. Deep-sea algae accumulated in the field's cage and throughout the park along with plastic, a Styrofoam cooler and other garbage.
A sail boat was trapped on a barrier palm tree, and a larger sail boat was near the bayfront park's wooden walkway, which appeared to have fared well. The thick-rooted canopy trees that provide shade near the Glass and Vine Restaurant on McFarlane Road were mostly spared.
The neighboring Coconut Grove Sailing Club at 2990 S. Bayshore Dr. had a sailboat on dry land, a downed tree, sand and debris on the parking lot. Kenneth
As crews in Miami assessed the damage, Irma weakened into a still-dangerous tropical storm. It was pushing water inland and triggering record flooding in Florida’s northeastern corner. Rescue crews made their way to the Florida Keys, where they struggled amid the full extent of the damage.
