TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — The sand castle built Saturday on Treasure Island Beach stopped beachgoers in their tracks. One by one, many of them paused to admire or photograph the gigantic creation.
“It’s all done by hand,” said Meredith Corson-Doubleday, one of its creators.
Attached to the sand castle was a message, a story, and a brutal reality that Corson-Doubleday and so many others lived and continue to live.
“This one’s pretty emotional,” she said of the castle.
It depicts a city floating on a boat, which is a metaphor and poignant reminder of what Hurricane Helene did to Treasure Island when its storm surge flooded the coastal city.
“My house is 70 years old, and there’s never been a drop of seawater in it. And we had water,” the sand artist said.
But now, the tide is turning.
After months of frustration, permits are being approved. In fact, according to city spokesperson Jason Beisel, 82% of the permits applied for have been issued.
Additionally, businesses are reopening, homes are being repaired, tourists are returning, and a sense of normal is returning too.
“There’s this uplifting feeling now,” Corson-Doubleday said.
A Saturday festival on the beach, dubbed Back to the Beach, celebrated the return to normal and announced to the world that Treasure Island is open again.
“There’s some misconceptions out there still on social media and to our friends to the north and in Canada that still think this area is destroyed by the hurricanes,” said Beisel.
The event was for the locals too.
Local vendors got a chance to make some money. Local storm survivors, who’ve been through hell, finally got a chance to relax and enjoy the paradise that brought many of them to Treasure Island. Local artists, like Corson-Doubleday, got a chance to carve a fitting message in sand.
“I’m working on the name of the ship,” she said as she carved the name on the sand ship’s stern.
“Resilient” is its name, and resilient should be Treasure Island's name too.
“We are resilient,” the sand artist said.
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