Police reopen road on Longboat after tree takes down power lines

A power line and several poles were damaged this morning by a falling tree near Whitney Plaza, cutting off power to more than 1,300 residents on the north end of Longboat Key and forcing a detour off Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Police around 3 p.m. reopened the road in both directions, though power remained off.

Because of equipment needs to make repairs, Florida Power and Light reports power might not be restored until 8:15 p.m., according to Tina Adams, a spokesperson for the town's fire-rescue department. First-responders were called to the scene around 8:40 a.m. on a report of wires down. 

Traffic had been redirected off Gulf of Mexico Drive most of the morning to Firehouse Road and North Shore Drive while repairs were underway.

Access to Longbeach Village through Broadway Street is cut off, so residents of the north-island neighborhood were asked to use Palm Street instead.