In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, residents and business owners have scrambled to assess damage and work through their recovery efforts. 
The area’s barrier islands and coastal areas suffered unprecedented storm surge and wind damage, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in local damages and hundreds of billions of dollars in damages nationally.

Many of the businesses hit hardest are in the tourism sector, a foundational economic driver in Southwest Florida. In 2023, Sarasota County alone saw more than 3.2 million visitors, which translated into nearly $4.5 billion for the local economy. While some businesses have been swift to get back on their feet, others will take weeks, months or even years to rebuild.

Samantha Lemmer, the general manager of Siesta Key Oyster Bar, says the restaurant’s 80-person staff has been eager to assist with recovery. “We have such amazing employees,” she says. “The staff wants to come in and help, but we want to make sure that safety is top priority.”

SKOB, as the locals call it, saw 3 feet of water damage from Helene, despite the restaurant being elevated above the road. According to Lemmer, the worst damage was caused by overflowing grease traps that leaked into the dining room. “Inside, there was a lot of structural damage,” she says. “A lot of water got into our walls, floors and tiles.”

While SKOB’s outdoor patio was open less than a week after Milton hit, the dining room will take longer to repair. “We learned a lot from Helene and were prepared for the worst as Milton hit,” says Lemmer. “We had minimal additional damage.”

Many hospitality business owners and managers have prioritized their staff’s physical safety during the recovery process, but the economic blows have been difficult for many employees.

Taylor Maus, 27, works as a server at Dockside Waterfront Grill at the base of the Venice Island bridge on Tamiami Trail. She moved to Sarasota County last year, so this has been her first hurricane season. The restaurant was closed for approximately one week after each of the storms. “We flooded during both storms with at least 20 inches of standing water,” she says.

Helene and Milton hit the region during what is already a traditionally difficult time of year for service workers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck until the high tourism season returns in mid-winter. “The money is good during peak season, but having this happen during off-season, it’s overwhelming,” says Maus.

Her colleague Victoria Sanders, a 28-year-old server, agrees. “It’s definitely hard,” she says. “My family suffered a tragedy in February, so I missed the opportunity to save during peak season. So now, this off-season has been a struggle. After these storms, it’s been so hard. I had to call my billing companies and ask for a continuance. But I am relieved that now I have some FEMA assistance.”

On Siesta Key, where the eye of Hurricane Milton made landfall, Mike Granthon, one of the owners of Above the Bar Hospitality Group, says that his businesses—which include Summer House, The Cottage, The Hub Baja Grill, The Beach Club, MVP and Siesta Poke—have experienced varying levels of damage.

“We were in the hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, especially The Hub, The Beach Club and The Cottage, after Helene,” he says. “We had a fire in 2015 at The Hub where we also endured considerable damage. I’m not sure which one is worse, a fire or a flood. Water gets in places where it just destroys things and wreaks havoc on the walls, floor, drainage, electrical. It’s bad.” Granthon remains optimistic, however, even after Milton followed on Helene’s heels.

South Sarasota County businesses were also impaired. Sue Atamanchuk and her son Mike Atamanchuk, along with other family members, own four Manasota Key businesses, including Lock ’n Key, SandBar Tiki & Grille, Magnolias on the Bay and Manasota Key Marina.

After Hurricane Helene, Mike Atamanchuk says, “our damages at Lock ’n Key were anywhere from 1.5 to 2 feet of storm surge throughout the entire restaurant. It crept into our bar area, dining room, bathroom and kitchen. The water got in everywhere. We had some camera footage until about 9 p.m. The back and front parking lots were completely covered.”

“All day long we were looking at the cameras,” says Sue. “I texted other business owners around 3 p.m., letting them know that we were looking good. No more than 30 minutes later we were surrounded by water as though a dam had broken. There was a gush of water.” Hurricane Milton was even less forgiving, and the whole of Manasota Key saw 4 to 6 feet of sand washed in from the Gulf. Many structures were leveled by its Category 3 winds.

Business owners and employees alike repeat hopeful sentiments. Sanders and Maus both ask that diners exercise patience with staff members, but also implore locals to come out to support businesses as they recover.

“Don’t be afraid to come back. We want to serve you,” says Sanders. “Without our community coming to visit during both high season and off-season, we wouldn’t be here.”