Fallen tree causes damage and power outages in Atlantic Beach

ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. — UPDATE 1:00 PM: 4th Street has reopened.

Nearly 60 people woke up on Saturday morning without power after a giant tree limb fell on the power lines in one Atlantic Beach neighborhood.

Neighbors gathered outside on 4th Street watching city and JEA crews clean up debris.

One neighbor was sleeping on the couch when he heard a loud noise around 7 a.m.

“Just heard a bang bang bang and thought somebody had took out the cars here,” said Jason Godfrey.

When Godfrey he ran outside he spotted a giant tree limb in the middle of the road. The Atlantic Beach Police Department kept others behind the yellow tape for their safety.

Tom Aycock told Action News Jax the tree limb snapped off, hit the power poles and damaged his rental car.

“It’s got a broken windshield, some other damage, scratches, scrapes, broken handle,” he said.

Aycock told us he called JEA out last year to take look at the tree because he noticed it was close to the power lines.

“I said it’s rotten it’s going to fall.. you need to do something,” he said but he claimed they didn’t trim it.

Two weeks ago he says another tree limb from the same tree fell on his wife’s car and damaged it.

Action News Jax reached out to JEA on Saturday today to see who is responsible for trimming and removing the tree.

They said it all depends on the situation, but they are going to look at where the tree is, whose property it’s on and how close the limbs are to the power lines.

Aycock says he’s frustrated but he’s just glad no one got hurt including his brother-in law who was visiting.

“Thank God he’s already left, he left real early because if he’d been out there he wouldn’t be here anymore,” Aycock said.

We’ll also check in with JEA on Monday and follow up on who was responsible for trimming the tree in that neighborhood.

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Cox Media Group