Story Tools • • Date of Issue: Sep. 14, 2006 Earthquake in Gulf gets little notice on Island An earthquake at 10:56 a.m. Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico about 250 miles west-southwest of Anna Maria Island caused no significant "rocking and rolling" locally. The "moderate" quake, placed at a Richter scale of 6.0, did not cause any damage and was generally unnoticed. No waves were generated as a result of the tremor. Most folks here apparently assumed it was thunder, but one person commented that she "thought someone was shaking the bed" to wake her up. Earthquakes in Florida? Well, they are uncommon but not unheard of, according to the U.S. Geologic Service, with the first recorded in 1780. There was a small earthquake in February in the Gulf of Mexico, which was largely unnoticed, although an earthquake of 4.9 on the Richter scale was recorded in Escambia County in 1997.