MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — After a devastating hurricane season, business owners on Madeira Beach are slowly returning to normal.
John's Pass Village and Boardwalk were packed with locals and tourists who came out to enjoy the Festival of Lights Holiday Boat Parade, a much-needed event to kick off the holiday season and lift spirits.
"We just survive," Lisa Sims, a bartender at the Tipsy Tiki Bar, said. "We're getting there. Next year is going to be a better year again. The sense of community and everybody coming together has just been great. So I can't imagine what next year is going to be like. I'm excited for it."
Sims greeted a full boat of passengers who had just finished a dolphin cruise with Florida Tiki Tours. Sims said there was about 5 feet of water in the bar following the storm surge from Hurricane Helene.
"I feel grateful to have the support of other people, like from Treasure Island and Madeira Beach, because all of us were affected," Sims said. "The communities are coming together. We don't have as many visitors in town, but the local people are coming out and supporting us, and we appreciate it. It's just a good sense of community."
Down the street at the Spice and Tea Exchange on John's Pass, workers were set up under a tent on the sidewalk. Their building was still damaged from the storm.
"We're glad to be open so that the community can come and get a sampling of the products we offer," Karen Ballard said. "Businesses are open. And again, people are coming here because they know our products; we offer a unique product to John's Pass here. So yeah, there's a lot of hope."
On the boardwalk, the Friendly Fisherman was also open for business. However, the outdoor seating deck has only been open for two days, just in time for the boat parade.
"There are a lot of people who are still in very, very difficult circumstances," Jeff Romanelli, the general manager of the restaurant, said. "The more people we can bring down here, the more revenue and money we can generate, the better it is going to be for all those people that have lost their jobs. All we can do right now is smile and push forward and try to continue to build and rebuild better. We're open. We're here. We're ready for you guys. We are still working through the kinks on many things, but we need our customers. I can't wait to see everybody back for the season."
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