Mind these businesses

The election is over. (Yay!) Hurricane Rafael has decided to veer west. (Double yay!)

Repairs to our homes and businesses and debris cleanup will continue for weeks and, in some cases, months. Be patient. 

During the cleanup, no doubt, we’ll discover new issues or learn how to adjust to the changes that Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton caused to the Gulf Coast. 

Some of those changes are good — yay, Midnight Pass! Some of them require big decisions — replacing Longboat Pass Bridge (see story on YourObserver.com). Some of them small: We’re still searching for our red distribution boxes that blew off Longboat, Lido and Siesta during the storms. One turned up in a Siesta Key homeowner’s front yard on Monday. 

Floridians are resilient. Much like the resilient shoreline built at the Bay Park in downtown Sarasota — which worked fabulously. In fact, the Bay Park’s two-year anniversary events and concerts held a little more than a week after Hurricane Milton’s historic landfall in Sarasota attracted more than 3,000 people. Sarasotans were ready for something to do. As Boo! At the Bay | Family Halloween Celebration attendee Karen Mills said, “We needed happy.” 

So, here’s something else we can do: Support the 941. 

After hearing from business organizations like the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, Visit Sarasota sprang into action with the Support the 941 social media campaign to highlight the businesses that are open. Many of these businesses that need our support are in the hardest hit areas, the barrier islands — Longboat, Lido, St. Armands and Siesta keys. 

Below you’ll find a list of businesses that are open and back in business. To kick-start the reopening efforts of these businesses, Visit Sarasota, the Sarasota Chamber, Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce and Blasé Martini Bar of Watershed Hospitality Group are hosting a “We are Open Party” from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, at Blasé Martini Bar. To register, visit SarasotaChamber.com. 

This weekend, Howard Alan Events is hosting the 35th annual St. Armands Circle Art Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, to Sunday, Nov. 10, which will benefit the St. Armands Circle Association. St. Armands Circle businesses will also participate in a sidewalk sale during the festival.

When Heather Kasten, president and CEO of the Greater Sarasota Chamber, spoke Oct. 24 at the chamber’s annual meeting, she spoke of adversity and resilience.

“How we handle adversity defines our culture,” Kasten said. “Do we panic, retreat? Or do we adapt, innovate and lead with resilience? … Remember, adversity reveals the character” of who we are.

“Let’s lead with courage, with compassion and with a vision that extends beyond our own success and into this community that we love and serve.”

That’s great encouragement and motivation for all of us. #SupportThe941!