DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Although Tropical Storm Hanna remained well offshore of Central Florida, its outer bands brought strong winds and rain to the local beaches on Friday.

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Officials with the Volusia County Beach Patrol said rip currents were a big concern in the ocean, and beach erosion could also cause problems.

"It's currently forecast to stay about 75 miles, the windfield, offshore of Volusia," Volusia County Emergency Operations Center Director Charlie Craig said.

As Hanna passed by about 130 miles off shore during high tide at Daytona Beach in Volusia County, it kicked up plenty of debris, squalls of rain and wind gusts of about 20 to 30 mph.

Inside Crabby Joe's restaurant atop the Sunglow Pier, diners were above it all on Friday, but just barely. Sunglow lost a few pilings courtesy of Tropical Storm Fay, but held firm against Tropical Storm Hanna.

The pounding surf at New Smynra Beach is one sight resident Art Mansfield could do without.

"Watching my beach wash away. It's not cool whatsoever," Mansfield said.

With every crash of a wave, a chunk of New Smyrna Beach washes away, and in Mansfield's eyes, it's money down the drain.

"It costs us so much money as far as the beach erosion goes and it's not good at all," Mansfield said.

Big waves from offshore storms often attract local surfers, and Hanna is no exception.

"It was a real hard paddle out. You wouldn't get anywhere, and the foam flies up in your face I could barely breath," one surfer said.

The surfers said they stay in groups to lower the risk of being swept away by a rip currents.

"It is dangerous, but I've been surfing my whole life. We come out here about every hurricane," one surfer said.

But as Hanna passes, Craig said he's watching a more menacing system.

"Ike is another matter. Ike is one that I would say all of South Florida and all of the east coast of Florida needs to watch," Craig said.

Even if Ike were to follow in Hanna's path, a more powerful tropical system like Ike can spell disaster.

In 1999, Floyd passed by about 155 miles offshore, but it threw out high waves that destroyed part of a local pier.

"It's time and wind are what wear things down," Volusia County Beach Patrol spokesman Scott Petersohn said.

Rising River Worries Brevard Residents

Seas producing waves of 7 to 10 feet pounded the beaches of Brevard County early Friday morning.

Some beaches near Patrick Air Force Base and in southern parts of the county were closed because of a high risk of rip currents, but at the beaches that remained open, surfers took advantage of the high surf kicked up by Tropical Storm Hanna.

But many residents were more concerned about the rising St. Johns River.

Inmates from the Brevard County Jail worked in crews to fill sandbags for residents in flood-prone areas.

Sandbags are also available for Cape Canaveral residents at the city's public works facility at 601 3rd Boulevard through the weekend.

"We've had a lot of flooding, so to finally get some help from Brevard County, it's a blessing," a resident said.

The county has provided pumps in some neighborhoods to pump floodwaters into the Atlantic Ocean.

The action prompted a swimming advisory at Jetty Park for health reasons, but the advisory was lifted Thursday evening.

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