Florida restaurant owner aims to reopen soon after hurricanes: ‘Beacon of hope’
Hurricanes Helene and Milton slammed Florida's west coast, forcing many small businesses to suspend operations
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Andrea Gonzmart Williams, a fifth-generation owner and operator of eight restaurants in Florida, expects to face hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage-related costs as she works to reopen after back-to-back hurricanes.
Still, she's pushing forward with her plan to reopen all of them, including her hardest hit locations, in a matter of weeks. A big reason: it would provide hope for communities in a troubling time, according to Gonzmart Williams.
"Being that kind of beacon of hope for people does wonders for the community and for other business leaders," she told FOX Business.
Staff began to repair Columbia Restaurant at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota after Hurricane Helene. (Columbia Restaurant / Fox News)
Hurricane Helene struck Florida as a Category 4 storm at the end of September. Two weeks later, Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm. Most of the damage was brought on by Helene, she said.
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As of Friday, Gonzmart Williams said the majority of her restaurants, located in Tampa, Sarasota, Celebration and Clearwater, all of which are under her umbrella company, 1905 Family of Restaurants, were still temporarily closed due to power outages. They were left mostly unscathed otherwise.
Columbia Restaurant at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota before Hurricane Helene slammed the region. (Columbia Restaurant / Fox News)
But two of her restaurants at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota – Columbia Restaurant and Cha Cha Coconuts – suffered "unprecedented" water damage. Both took on approximately 3 to 4 feet of water from Helene, she said.
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Staff began to repair Columbia Restaurant at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota after Hurricane Helene. (Columbia Restaurant / Fox News)
The restaurants lost all of their equipment as a result of Helene, and needed to replace some drywall. But despite this headwind, she estimated that it would take three to four weeks to reopen.
When Milton barreled through two weeks later, both locations were already "bare bones," which meant they weren't at risk of losing anything else. Gonzmart Williams said their plans remained on track though she's taking on a hefty financial toll.
Staff began to repair Columbia Restaurant at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota after Hurricane Helene. (Columbia Restaurant / Fox News)
A construction company Gonzmart Williams works with estimated the repairs to cost under $1 million, and that's not factoring in the new equipment costs, she said.
Columbia Restaurant at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota boarded up before Hurricane Milton hit Florida's west coast. (Columbia Restaurant / Fox News)
Regardless, she said reopening is vital not only for the community but for her employees.
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"We were always taught… that we've got to get back to that community that has supported us," Gonzmart Williams said. Getting back to normal is the best way to do that, she added.