Pass-a-Grille Tourists Witness Tornado

Lisa Smith from Jeffersonville, Indiana, wanted to have the time of her life in Pass-A-Grilled. But a tornado definitely wasn't what she was expecting.

Smith was enjoying her vacation at the Keystone Hotel in Pass-A-Grille when the weather started to get worse on Sunday. 

Mother Nature's wrath ripped through the Pinellas County coastline on Sunday and left many in the dark overnight. Luckily, no one was hurt when the tornado touched down in this seaside tourist town. But it did a lot of damage.

Winds and rain pummeled Pass-a-Grille and St. Pete Beach around 8 p.m. Sunday night.

"We thought the hurricane had gone toward Texas," Smith said.

The tornado caused structural damage to areas of Pass-A-Grille, including the Hurricane Restaurant.

"The wind picked up and I saw, I guess, what would have taken out a transformer, everything came crashing down and the lights went out," Smith said.

The tornado came as a shock to Smith, who had been following the news, but thought the majority of the storm had moved north, past Pass-A-Grille.

The shock that came from seeing buildings being damaged by the storm was partially offput by the security of the Keystone Inn. 

"I know that this hotel is built really soundly!" Smith said.

Smith is looking forward to the rest of her vacation in Florida, until next Saturday when she heads home.

"Who knows what it has to hold?" Smith said.