INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. — The devastation of back-to-back hurricanes is still apparent up and down the Pinellas County coast, with mounds of sand and debris lining the roadways. However, there's now a reason to celebrate as many barrier island businesses are reopening.
After extensive clean-ups and renovations, many shops and restaurants reopened on Friday. Now, the business owners and managers say they need the public's support more than ever.
Stanton Chevalier, General Manager at the Wharf on Pass-A-Grille Beach said, "It has been a long month, so we’re really excited to all be here. We see all the devastation and we’re one of the few businesses that’s now in the position to be able to open."
Chevalier said after a turbulent month, they hope customers come out to support them.
"We’ve had employees lose everything," said Chevalier, "So the more business, the more people we can have working."
Further north on Indian Rocks Beach, Crabby Bill’s also reopened Friday after extensive renovations.
Matthew Loder, Owner of Crabby Bill’s and several other beach-front restaurants, said they saw roughly 50 inches of storm surge during Hurricane Helene. "We replaced all the walls, the bottom parts of the walls, we have to repaint those, we’re putting on new doors. "
They also needed to purchase all new appliances.
Loder hopes the reopenings will signal a light at the end of the tunnel on the long road to recovery.
"We want to give [our customers] a break from all the challenges they may have at home. So our goal is to try to make this a warm comfortable feel for them. We want to make it look as well as we can," said Loder.
The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce said nearly all of its 800 businesses were impacted by the recent hurricanes. Now, their “Positive Progress" campaign is highlighting their recovery efforts.
Robin Miller, President & CEO of the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce said, "It is hard if you haven’t been out here and your first visit, it is a bit shocking, but we know we have positive progress happening and we are celebrating those small wins."
And for the regulars, back on their favorite bar stools today, it's an exciting step towards normalcy.
Mark Schlickman, a regular at Buoy's and Toasted Monkey, said, "Coming and seeing my friends who have had so much happen, it’s very emotional."
For him, this moment is a homecoming. "They’re family!" said Schlickman. "It’s just family. It’s beautiful, so I’m so glad to be back!"
The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce has been highlighting the businesses that are back open on their Facebook page, for more information, click here.