DUNEDIN — From Clearwater to Dunedin and other spots around the Bay area, baseball is back.
Elena Marrero owns two gift shops in downtown Dunedin, Our House and The Great Giftsby.
She said the return of spring training and the Toronto Blue Jays is a much-needed cure to the aftermath of two hurricanes.
“The third quarter was tough for us. It was tough for our locals who support us as well, so we definitely saw an impact to business,” she said.”
The welcome signs are all over Dunedin near the stadium.
Ken and Kathy McNabb are here from Nova Scotia, and they’ll be hosting many other family members.
“We always have someone that wants to come down here specifically to see the Blue Jays,” Kathy said.
“Those couple of months that the Blue Jays are here, this place is jumping. All the bars are full. Kids, families, grandparents. Everywhere you go people are walking around with Blue Jays jerseys. It makes it pretty special,” Ken said.
Off Main Street, Kimberly Platt serves up Hawaiian food at The Honu Restaurant.
“As hard as it's been and tough as it, this community sticks together,” she said.
Platt said while there is still hurricane damage left to fix, she’s already noticed businesses picking up, and the spring training games haven’t even started yet.
“We want everyone to visit the beach and those poor souls that got reopened. We are so glad they got reopened. We have a lot of friends down there,” Platt said.
A Florida Sports Foundation study found spring training brought in nearly $680 million and $62 million in tax revenue around the Tampa Bay area.
Some say the Blue Jays have put Dunedin on the map, and Dunedin has grown up with them.
“They really bring a renewed, refreshed time. It used to be that the Blue Jays opened, and we were slammed and when the Blue Jays left and we were dead. It’s not really like that anymore,” said Platt.
Spring Training games begin Feb. 21.
"IT JUST CONTINUES TO GET WORSE EVERY DAY."
The Tarpon Springs home has been involved in a years-long code enforcement case, but the debris has only increased after Hurricane Helene and Milton, according to outraged neighbors.
