Sarasota businesses face an uncertain future
Kylie Jones reports
SARASOTA, Fla. – It is not clear when many businesses in St. Armands will be able to reopen after many were flooded during Hurricane Helene. Many shops on the ground level had several meters of water flooded inside.
Business owners around the district have spent the past few days burning down their businesses and dumping items in piles of trash and debris on the sidewalk.
“It’s really heartbreaking for us to have this happen,” said Susan Leonard, owner of the Shore restaurant and retail store.
READ: Brandon men brave Hurricane Helene’s fury to rescue people trapped by floodwaters: ‘It was pretty scary’
Leonard and her daughter, Courtney, said they’ve weathered many storms over the years, but nothing like Helene.
“We did our standard preparations,” Courtney said. “We moved all our merchandise above table height. We’ve never flooded. This building has never seen water inside. And we had no wind damage at all. It was all water damage. The growth just came at the store with a vengeance .”
The Leonards said it sounded like a bomb went off inside their first-floor retail store after the storm.
“We had about four feet of water flood across the Shore because our tables are all destroyed,” Susan Leonard said. “Our facilities are destroyed. Clothing is destroyed.”
MORE: Pinellas County hopes to have water back on the barrier islands by the end of the week
Café L’Europe also had about four feet of flooding from Helene. The restaurant has already been destroyed and its team is working hard to fix it as soon as possible.
Wolseley Rivera, head chef at Café L’Europe, said they’ve actually made a lot of progress in just the last few days.
“There was a moment where I was like, ‘Oh boy. I don’t know what’s going to happen here,'” Rivera said.
He said it has brought their team together and given them hope that they will get through this.
READ: ‘n’ Town residents cleaning up after Hurricane Helene: ‘It was just a surreal experience’
Despite the devastation and destruction, the community in St. Armands are coming together to support each other.
“A lot of these restaurants and retail stores are closed because they’re on the ground floor,” Leonard said. “We have an upstairs restaurant, so we said, ‘Well, let’s give the workers food and lunch.’
Since the Shore restaurant is on the second floor, it’s still open, so the Leonards decided to start making lunches for other employees around the district.
“It’s great,” Rivera said. “Every other restaurant is helping another restaurant. I love that.”
MORE: Amid damage to hotels and restaurants, employees hope to return to work after Hurricane Helene
Some business owners are unsure if they will be able to reopen. For others, it may be weeks or months until they are able to reopen, but they want people to know they will rebuild.
“There have been a lot of tears that have been shed in the district, and this is such a small way that we can help contribute and ease the burden, then we’re happy to do it,” Courtney said.
To ease traffic congestion and allow solid waste and storm debris to float down neighborhood streets during storm recovery, the City of Sarasota is offering parking permits for purchase to residents of St. Armands, Lido and Bird Key. Residents can purchase a permit for the St. Louis Garage. Armands during October for $100 with proof of residency.
Parking is limited to the third and fourth floors of Garage St. Armands. The city says parking permit applications must be submitted in person to the parking division. Here you can find information about the applications.
The city says the interim schedule will be reviewed at the end of the month.
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