- October 22, 2024
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Longboat Key Club Managing Director Rick Konsavage’s priority after Hurricane Milton was to give members a sense of normalcy.
“The wind did some pretty serious stuff, landscaping-wise,” said Konsavage. “Trees were everywhere. It was like Jurassic Park out there. We spent that first weekend cleaning as much as we could to be able to put on some activities because everything else on the island is canceled. The people need something to do after these crazy weeks.”
A week after Milton, the resort is open with restaurants available for reservations and golf and pickleball clinics on the schedule. But even with sprinkles of normalcy after two hurricanes, Konsavage and other businesses can’t help but be concerned about what this high season on Longboat Key will look like.
The Lazy Lobster was among the first few restaurants on Longboat Key to immediately open back to the public.
“It will honestly probably be a year until Longboat Key will have a normal season again,” said co-owner of the Lazy Lobster Michael Garey. “Especially with most of the home rentals on the island being destroyed. We really count on them to bring in snowbirds and vacationers for business during the season.”
Garey was surprised to see the restaurant packed around lunch and dinner times after the hurricanes. He said each customer expressed gratitude for being open and spreading some hope after a hard couple of weeks.
Other businesses were not as lucky. Around five buildings of Harry’s Continental Kitchens were flooded during Hurricane Helene, which made it lose all its equipment. During Hurricane Milton, three roofs were damaged.
After a week of recovery, Harry’s Corner Store is open for people to stop in for quick bites and essentials.
“We are trying to take it one day at a time,” said General Manager Hal Christensen. “We are hoping to be fully open by the beginning of November, but that is us hoping. I think with people knowing that the hurricanes went through here, it probably isn’t on their top list of places to go right now."
Cafe L’Europe received about 5 feet of water throughout its restaurant after Helene, along with damaging its sliding glass doors and ruining all its equipment. After laying off most of its staff for unemployment benefits, the restaurant doesn’t have a timeline for when it will be ready to open yet.
Executive Vice President Eleni Sokos said they are taking this as an opportunity to reimagine how Cafe L’Europe serves the community. With the effects the recent storms have had on St. Armands Circle, she believes a call to action is in order.
“This is the third time this season that the Circle has been flooded, and it has impacted all of us heavily,” said Sokos. “We need to figure out a resiliency plan to help these businesses stay operational, or no one will want to do business on St. Armands Circle. It's looking at the storm pumps and figuring out what kind of flood barriers the community can invest in.”
Heather Rippy, the owner of Driftwood Beach Home and Garden in Whitney Plaza, was grateful that her shop only received 4 inches of water during Hurricane Helene compared to her house in the Village, which was flooded with 2.5 feet.
When Milton hurdled towards the Gulf coast, Rippy was scared that her shop would be next. Thankfully, the shop was spared from any damage, and she is working to restore it to its previous state.
Before Milton, Rippy spread her inventory between different friends’ houses to ensure its safety. She recently replaced the store’s sheetrock and is working on bringing inventory back. In the meantime, she has been selling items online.
Rippy has documented her experience through the shop’s Instagram page and was overwhelmed with care and support from her friends and customers.
“It's just a good time for people to remember to support local business,” said Rippy. “Being closed for three weeks is a huge setback. We are paying out of pocket for all the work that has to be done after these storms, so hopefully, people can come to our aid to make sure we do have a season this year.”
