We say, “More power to them!”
While much of the island looked like a ghost town on the evening of Sept. 30, some businesses provided what services they could.
In Holmes Beach, Publix was open, operating on generator power.
Shelves appeared well-stocked and staff told The Islander they planned to continue restocking for the next two days while closing the doors early to conserve energy.
In Anna Maria, Slim’s Place owner Chris Smargisso unofficially opened the sports bar, a post-storm tradition that began after Hurricane Irma in 2017.
The bar also was relying on a generator to keep drinks cold and power TVs that Chris’s son, chef PJ Smargisso, said would feature the Florida State and Philadelphia Eagles football games Oct. 1 and Oct. 2.
Some business owners were squaring things away after Hurricane Ian, a storm that devastated areas south of Bradenton-Sarasota.
Mike DeLeo of Anna Maria’s Robinhood Rentals AMI directed traffic at the shop, while workers towed golf carts, mopeds and scoot coupes from their safekeeping place — a vacant lot at the intersection of 75th Street West and Manatee Avenue — back onto the island.
Blueberries Cafe and Wine owners Thaina and Sergio Santinato removed overripe fruit from their Holmes Beach eatery and sanitized kitchen spaces.
The Santinatos traveled to Orlando for the storm and, on the return trip, stopped at the cafe before their Perico Island home.
They were thankful the eatery was intact.
“I’m so grateful because a hurricane like that can destroy everything,” Thaina Santinato said. “But when I saw the eye cross Fort Myers, I thought, well it’s a little selfish to think in this way, but I’m grateful it didn’t come here.”
Off the island, Cortez’s Slicker’s Eatery was undamaged by the storm, lost power for only a few hours and owner Bob Slicker echoed Santinato’s sentiment.
“I feel so bad for those people down south because it’s so horrible,” Slicker said. “It’s hard to feel grateful and then know someone else is getting it right now. It’s a really mixed feeling.”
“But I do know this, if we didn’t get open — because we opened during the pandemic and don’t even have two years under our belt — being down for a few days is really tough for us. So I’m truly grateful just to have something going on,” he said.
The restaurant was offering a limited menu to a good crowd Sept. 30.
Other Cortez establishments near 119th Street West, including Tyler’s Ice Cream, Cortez Kitchen and Swordfish Grill also were serving a sizeable number of customers.
Cortez Kitchen and Swordfish Grill, drawing energy from the grid as normal, was broadcasting college football games and offering live music.
“The customers are really enjoying it,” Swordfish Grill manager Tom Polch said. “I think they’re just happy to see someplace that’s open, somewhere local and popular.”