Millions of people are traveling this Memorial Day weekend. Many of them, to the Tampa Bay area.
- Hundreds flocked to the beach on Sunday
- AAA estimate 2 million Floridians will travel this holiday weekend
Fort Island Gulf Beach in Citrus County was packed Sunday with both locals and visitors hoping to catch a few rays.
While many of the people there did live close by, others traveled from different parts of the state.
"This is the closest beach to our house, since we live inland in Ocala," said Marc Picker. "It's a really nice beach. I have a rare day off tomorrow so I left work early today and the weather is beautiful."
According to AAA, about two million Floridians are expected to travel this holiday weekend. But across the country, they say 40 million are expected to hit the road. The number of Floridians traveling for Memorial Day this year, is up just over three percent from last year.
Patricia Lanich is one of those travelers, coming all the way from Pennsylvania.
"I have relatives and friends that I get to visit," she said. So I'm down here for a week and this is one of the favorite beaches I get to come to.”
While this isn't her first trip to Florida, Lanich said it's one of the busiest she's seen the area.
"Usually, I mean, this beach has people on it but this is yeah a lot more crowded today on a holiday," she said.
But more people traveling means more people on the roads and the water.
Authorities remind everyone to use caution when driving or boating and to always have a designated driver.