PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricane recovery is on the horizon as the Beachcomber Hotel will reopen come Oct. 30, hotel representatives announced Tuesday.
“Our team has been incredibly committed to getting The Beachcomber and Jimmy B’s open after the 2024 hurricanes. The area was so severely impacted, and it took time to fully assess the damage,” said Jessica Milton, a spokesperson for the hotel. “We worked hand-in-hand with all our partners to ensure we would be able to reopen this St. Pete Beach destination that has been so important to the community for more than 50 years.”
Milton said the ground-level of the resort was most impacted by the back-to-back hurricanes. This included the first-floor guest rooms, meeting and event spaces, the hotel lobby, courtyard, and main swimming pool.
The Jimmy B’s Beach Bar, home to the hotel, also had hurricane repairs, according to Milton.
“We also needed to address certain areas of Jimmy B’s, including replacement of all the bar equipment, TVs, audio equipment, mechanical and operational equipment, lighting, and furniture,” Milton explained. “Overall, however, we were relieved that the Jimmy B’s structure did well; the water was able to flow underneath since it’s raised several feet.”
Nearby businesses told News Channel 8, the reopening of the resort and bar could not come soon enough as the attraction of tourists brought increasing amounts of revenue.
“It’s been looking like COVID all over again [with] no tourists there,” said Khang Vuong, employee at the Happy Puffer Smoke Shop. “The hurricane — it just messed everybody up.”
Odi’s Mediterranean Kitchen owner Odesi Armada was elated to hear the reopening date of the hotel, as he recalled his establishment’s own troubles during the two hurricanes.
“It was really bad, it was heartbreaking because we built our business from scratch, and everything was starting to break,” Armada said. “We’re so excited, we need more people, more customers. We need more revenue. We need more happy people.”
Milton said guest room reservations will reopen Wednesday, Sept. 17 for stays beginning Oct. 30.
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