Where is Keaton Beach? 5 things to know as Hurricane Idalia makes landfall

Idalia made landfall as a powerful Category 3 hurricane at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday near Keaton Beach, Florida, according to an advisory from the National Hurricane Center. A storm surge of 12 to 16 feet is expected in the area as the tropical cyclone pushes water up onto the shore.

Here's what to know about Keaton Beach.

Where is Keaton Beach, Florida?

Keaton Beach is on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the southern part of Taylor County.

What was Keaton Beach named for?

Keaton Beach was named for two brothers, Abb and Sam Keaton, who settled in the area and are believed by local historians to be the original owners. They started out with cotton farms but moved to mullet fishing when that proved to make more money.

When Captain W. Alston “Cap’n” Brown, owner of the turpentine works at Blue Springs Creek, became involved with the area in the early 1920s he reportedly worked with the brothers and named the beach after them. The community grew from a few houses, a pavilion, a sawmill, a church and a commissary into a weekend getaway location and finally a community.

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How many people live in Keaton Beach?

Keaton Beach is not separated out in the U.S. Census, but the entire county of Taylor had a population of just 21,815 in 2021.

What is Keaton Beach known for?

Keaton Beach is Taylor County's main beach area, with a local pier, the county's primary boat ramp, and a children's play area called Hodges Park. Mostly it's probably known for fishing and scallops.

Locals have spotted stingrays, sea urchins, hermit crabs, starfish, sea horses, file fish, and many other saltwater species such as redfish, sea trout, grouper, snapper and flounder. But the real draw is scallops, and Keaton Beach is one of the few places in Florida where you can harvest your own, according to the Taylor County Chamber of Commerce.

Has Keaton Beach ever been hit by a major storm before?

On Mar. 13, 1993, Keaton Beach and the surrounding area was hit by the "No Name Storm" or the "Storm of the Century," a tropical cyclone that quickly spun up in the Gulf of Mexico in two days and rampaged up from Florida to eastern Canada. The storm killed 47 people in Florida and brought record-cold temperatures across parts of the southern U.S., even producing some snow flurries in Jacksonville and parts of Central Florida.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Hurricane Idalia landfall location Keaton Beach, Florida. What to know