Florida small businesses hammered by back-to-back hurricanes: ‘Just going to say a prayer’

Natalia Levey, who co-owns five restaurants in Florida with her husband, Mark, has been praying for a miracle since Hurricane Helene slammed the region last month.

She’s one of countless small business owners that have been hammered by two hurricanes in as many weeks. Milton made landfall in Florida in Sarasota County on Thursday as a Category 3 storm, two weeks after Helene struck.

One of their eateries, Speaks Clam Bar, is located in Sarasota’s St. Armands Circle, which features more than 140 upscale boutiques, restaurants and art galleries. They own another Speaks Clam Bar in Lakewood Ranch and three other restaurants – Kojo, Bar Hana and Palm Avenue Deli – on Palm Ave. in Sarasota. 

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Levey told FOX Business that she hasn’t been able to assess the full extent of the damage caused by Milton because the bridges to the island are still closed. However, Helene, which made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Sept. 26, already left “extensive damage” to Speaks Clam Bar in St. Armands Circle.

Fearing additional wreckage, Levey and her team sealed up the restaurant for two days. She recalled feeling “very emotional.”

“As soon as the power shut off, I was like, ‘OK, we’re just going to say a prayer and hopefully a miracle [will] happen’,” she told FOX Business. 

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Damage at Speaks Clam Bar in St. Armands Circle in Sarasota after Hurricane Helene.  (Natalia Levey)

The Speaks Clam bar in St. Armands had 2 to 3 feet of water damage after the first storm. Furniture was scattered across the floor and machines were damaged, Levey said.

“The smell was bad. It was heartbreaking to walk into that building,” she said.

She estimated that the first storm had already caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. 

Damage at Speaks Clam Bar in St. Armands Circle in Sarasota after Hurricane Helene.  (Natalia Levey)

Their team had already started to do repairs and fix the drywall after Helene so they could get back to business as soon as possible. They also started to organize and take inventory so they could at least reopen the second floor, and get back to paying their employees. 

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Now, Levey has no idea when that will be.

“They still have bills to pay. They still have families to take care of,” she said. “I haven’t slept in about two weeks.”