Water from storm surge as high as 9 feet was flowing into Homosassa on Wednesday as Idalia's long reach struck Citrus County.
Captain John Lechleidner was hoping to ride things out.
The water piled up on the roads at the corner Eli Drive and Fish Bowl Drive in Homosassa.
Lechleidner, who owns NautiTimes Seafood 'n Wings, was sitting in the middle of a picnic table.
"I woke up this morning around 6:30, looked out the window and there was no flooding whatsoever. And now as you can see, it's more than a foot of water around," Lechleiter said. "The restaurant is high and dry."
Lechleidner said he wouldn't evacuate until his cars, which are kind of high and dry right now, are underwater.
Meanwhile, Beverly Amato left her home at the Homosassa Tradewinds Condominium but came back the next day to check on her belongings.
She pointed at the water lapping at a boat canal a few yards from her home.
"It's going up at about a foot an hour," Amato said. "So all these private docks — they're on each side, we all own boat docks here — they're completely under water. Right now, we had an airboat go in the water and they had to go rescue two people that are trapped in their home, down the river at River Haven."
Amato's home was hurricane-proofed, rising 13 feet above sea level. But Amato wasn't taking any chances. She was headed to her mom's home in Leesburg, far inland.
