Cleanup and restoration after Hurricane Helene was a group effort. Photo courtesy SeaHorse Beach Resort.

When hurricanes Helene and Milton hit Florida last year, SeaHorse Beach Resort faced devastating impacts—pool decking and landscaping were washed away, first-floor units flooded and the electrical system was heavily damaged. But the Longboat Key resort has made a quick comeback, and now, as the first anniversary of these storms approaches, they’ve even taken the opportunity to make improvements to units and amenities.

Director Sam McCarter says the community SeaHorse has built was essential to the resort’s recovery and successful reopening. While the resort was closed for a short period after the storms, the housekeeping and maintenance teams joined condo owners in helping dry and clean out first-floor units. Owners and board members also joined together to help rebuild and restore these condos after securing the necessary permits. “One of the things about what happened is that we've been blessed with finding a great group of people with a common sense of purpose—to get us back up and running as quickly as we can,” says McCarter.

One of these people is the resort’s contractor, Jack Kirkman. “The night of the storms, I called him and said, ‘Jack, we're going to need your help, so I want to put you on retainer. I don't know what you're going to do, but we're going to need your help for a long time.’ And he's been with us since September 26 of last year, even today, helping us with these restoration projects,” says McCarter.

Throughout the time these projects took, the resort owners aimed to turn their misfortune into an opportunity for improvement. “It was a horrible thing. However, you can look at it from one of two perspectives. You can look at it as, ‘Oh my gosh, what happened to us is terrible.’ Or you can look at it as we chose to, as an opportunity for us to really reinvigorate the SeaHorse,” says McCarter. These improvements included remodeling the damaged units, an upgraded electrical system, and new landscaping and outdoor areas, all designed to withstand future storms.

SeaHorse Beach Resort, 3453 Gulf of Mexico Dr, Longboat Key, 34228

Cleanup and restoration after Hurricane Helene was a group effort. Photo courtesy SeaHorse Beach Resort.

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