Local restaurants are struggling to recoup heavy financial losses caused by Helene and Milton.
ST. PETE BEACH — As Hurricane Helene began its slow approach, Heidi Butler watched the water rise inside her restaurant from hundreds of miles away.
Butler owns The Helm: Provisions & Coastal Fare on St. Pete Beach with her husband, Michael. In late September, the pair stared at grainy black-and-white security footage of the building’s dining room while camped out near their other restaurant, a new property in Greenville, South Carolina. Late that afternoon and into the evening, as Helene’s bands spurred extreme storm surge across the Tampa Bay area, the Butlers sat glued to the feed, watching the water pool on Blind Pass Road and into their restaurant.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Tampa Bay Times
