FORT PIERCE, Fla. — The sun has been absent from the Sunshine State for most of 2024.
Overcast weather and showers have been prevalent for the last few weeks.
On Monday, WPTV found Brylee and her dog Lilly at Jetty Park in Fort Pierce.
The pair is currently driving around the country.
"I came here because of the warm weather and the sunshine," Brylee said.
She said her dog loves to hike and swim, but there was no swimming on Monday as the clouds hung overhead.
Before the afternoon rain, Judy Gearheart still called it a beach day.
"With the weather [the way] it's been, I said if it's not raining and it's not 60 degrees, it's a beach day here," Gearheart said laughing.
So if the weather isn't so great outside, local business owners are hoping people will go inside and into their stores.
LyLy Irizarry is marking one year with her shop open along Second Street in downtown Fort Pierce.
Her customers can enjoy a range of items, none over $30 and a hot beverage on a cold, gloomy day.
"We're used to it dropping the temperature, but I think the rain, people are getting a little bit annoyed," Irizarry said.
She said there's a post-holiday lull right now that she hopes will pick up before Valentine's Day, but she is still glad to be a part of downtown. Meanwhile, beachgoers were happy not a part of the weather where they live.
"It beats zero degrees and snowing," Barbara Chafin, who was visiting from Kentucky, said.
