As Tropical Storm Isaias nears the Treasure Coast Sunday morning, the curious visit Waveland Beach in St. Lucie County

Just before 9 a.m., David Comstozk walked slowly toward an empty Waveland Beach in St. Lucie County, not far over the Martin County line. 

The 72-year-old took his time reaching the shore as a steady wind, likely somewhere around 40 mph, blew directly at him. 

“I was curious to see what the beach looked like,” Comstozk said, raising his voice to match the rushing wind. “I usually leave town for these, but this one didn’t seem too bad.” 

The Port St. Lucie man clutched his camera phone close to his chest, snapping photographs intermittently. 

While he took photos of the bending palm trees and crashing waves, there was one thing the camera didn’t capture: A beaming smile on his face.

Comstozk was just one of a handful of people out and about in Jensen Beach — the portion in St. Lucie County — Sunday morning as Tropical Storm Isaias neared the Treasure Coast. 

The storm was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a Tropical Storm Saturday evening, according to the National  Hurricane Center. 

The Treasure Coast remains under a tropical storm warning and a storm surge warning.

The storm is not expected to grow to hurricane strength as wind sheer from the west continues to work away at the storm, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

Maximum sustained winds are expected to be 65 mph, and the storm is about 60 miles south-southeast of Stuart moving north-northwest at 9 mph.

Gallery: The Weather Channel reports from Vero Beach as Hurricane Isaias approaches Florida

Latest weather report:: Winds picking up in Martin County

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Max Chesnes is a TCPalm reporter covering health, welfare and social justice on the Treasure Coast. You can keep up with Max on Twitter @MaxChesnes, email him at max.chesnes@tcpalm.com and give him a call at 772-978-2224.

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