Following Hurricanes Helene and Milton—which caused catastrophic damage, tearing roofs off buildings and slamming sand and floodwaters into homes across the region over a two-week period in September and October—it’s been common for people to open conversations by asking, "How did you fare in the storms?" 

But in the historic Central Cocoanut neighborhood, just north of downtown Sarasota, the question has become: "Where’s Buddha?" "Is Buddha OK?" 

The Buddha they speak of is a gleaming, 6-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide laughing Buddha on the front lawn corner of 12th Street and Cocoanut Avenue has been stopping people in their tracks since 2021. The Florida cracker and single-story concrete block homes there are often colorful and stand out from one another, like a tapestry. Buddha is the tassel hanging from them.

Looking diagonally across the street at the statue from the basketball court at Pioneer Park, you can’t miss his sheer size, massive smile and jolly belly. He has become a beloved local landmark, radiating good vibes and a dash of mystique. (We first wrote about him back in 2021.)

But even huge gold Buddha needs upkeep. In preparation for Hurricane Helene, homeowner Samuel Ray, who owns Tsunami Sushi & Hibachi Grill, brought him inside for protection.

"We didn’t want him to fly into a house, or a house to fly into him," Ray explains. It took four men to move him.

But the move is sparking concern among neighbors who have texted not to check on Ray, but to inquire about Buddha’s welfare.  

While Buddha remained safe from the storms, cracks in his paint and a broken satchel handle needed attention. Ray tackled the restoration over a week. He sanded the fiberglass statue smooth, repaired the satchel by climbing inside Buddha and drilling holes by flashlight, and applied four coats of gold-leaf paint over two yellow primer layers to restore the statue's regal glow.

“His generous build meant more surface area than I expected,” Ray says. “I had to order twice as much paint.”

The Laughing Buddha has become so integral to the Central Cocoanut neighborhood that Ray briefly considered moving him into one of his restaurants, but ultimately decided against it. “He’s a staple now,” Ray says. 

This golden guardian isn’t just decoration; he’s a symbol of protection and positivity. The idea to place Buddha in his yard came to Ray after a gun was fired at Pioneer Park across the street in July of 2021. While no one was hurt, a bullet found its way into Ray’s home. Ray brought Buddha to the neighborhood to watch over the area.

“He’s the guardian of the neighborhood,” Ray says. “I’m trying to make it a happy place for the kids to enjoy being outside. That’s why he’s looking toward the park.”

Originally part of a Chinese buffet in Brandon that closed after 47 years, the statue was gifted to Ray when he helped clear out the space. What started as an errand to buy aquariums turned into a serendipitous encounter. “Buddha caught my fancy right away,” Ray says. “When the owner asked what I’d do with him, I said, ‘I’ll put him in a happy place.’”

Ray strapped the massive figure to the roof of his Jeep and drove down I-75, earning waves, bows and plenty of curious stares along the way. Since his arrival, Buddha has become a favorite photo op and a magnet for dog walkers. A skeleton friend keeps him company in Ray's yard on Halloween.

So when will he be back for all to see again?

“I'm shooting for the end of this week,” Ray says. "All I have to do is seal him and get the people together to move him.”

"I tell them Buddha would ask you to be patient," he says of people's good-natured inquiries. "It’s a virtue."