Severe erosion in Vilano Beach

15 foot cliff overnight due to Nor'easter

VILANO BEACH, Fla. – Beach Access -- gone. That's what a handful of Vilano Beach homeowners said after they woke up to find a 15-foot cliff due to erosion.

Residents say the recent Nor'easter brought strong winds and waves, causing severe damage to their beach balconies and stairs that connect to the water.

Winfield Hartman walks his dogs on Vilano Beach every night. He typically walks down a path to the water, but not on Friday night.

Hartman and his dogs had to make an abrupt stop when he noticed the beach access was gone and all that remained was a dangerous overhang.

"It was about 9 o'clock, really dark and when we came over, the access was totally gone," Hartman said. "We were actually facing a 10 foot cliff. I had to pull the dogs back and it was very frightening, very scary."

Just feet away, a beachfront home has also lost their beach access after their stairs came off their balcony -- now floating in the ocean and laying on the sand.

Hartman and neighbors have called and e-mailed the city multiple times but haven't gotten a response because of the holiday weekend.