The businesses on St. Armands Circle are ready for visitors after the 2024 hurricanes.
Roughly 2/3 of the businesses on the Circle have reopened since last fall's hurricanes.
Some businesses have moved locations and others are still rebuilding or waiting on permits.
"Although we did have a lot of damage, and this is something that is never in the 100 years or 99 years of St. Armands Circle, we have never had a flood event like this," Rachel Burns, Executive Director of the St. Armands Circle Association, said. "But we were able to come back. We didn't lose everything, and there is still, unfortunately, some perception online that this area is flattened and gone, and we're the exact opposite. I mean, we're here. People worked really hard to get reopened. We have special events happening in the Circle. The city is in the process of replanting. So we're going to have this beautiful face lift by the end of the month."
St. Armands has been here on Lido Key for 99 years, offering a place where people can live, work, and enjoy the beautiful Lido Beach.
"St. Armands Circle is the type of place where, once you begin coming here and you bring your family, it continues a generational habit. It's something where it stays in your heart. There's so many residents and so many people who have just moved here because they fell in love with the area, and you know, once you come, you're just going to keep coming back," said Burns.
Most of the businesses on the Circle are also locally owned and operated, and these business owners are ready to bring people back to the island.
Every year, we look forward to Spring Break. I mean, Lido Key is literally steps away. You walk from the beach, and so it infuses an excitement to the area. So not only do we get an influx of families and people here for spring break, but we get an influx of excitement, and it really just supercharges the area. When you're walking around the sidewalks, and there's musicians at some of the restaurants, and we have tons of buskers who play the area, and it just feels very alive and vibrant," said Burns.
