Beachcomber Resort, Jimmy B's Beach Bar to reopen in October

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - On the Beachcomber Resort’s marquee is a message that has been a year in the making.

"This past week, we got the ability to announce an opening date of October 30, so, we’re extremely excited," Shaun Kwiatkowski, the general manager of the Beachcomber Resort, said. "The team has worked extremely hard to get us to this point, so now we're ready to welcome back our team members and the community."

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The backstory:

Jimmy B’s Beach Bar and the hotel, staples in St. Pete Beach for more than 50 years, suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Helene last year, like so many in the area.

"All of our ground floor, so from our lobby to our meeting space, the hotel rooms, were all impacted by the storm surge, so we had to completely restore those spaces. Luckily, Jimmy B's did really, really well considering the storm surge, so we were able to make some small repairs there and then replace some of the bar equipment, audio system and TVs," Kwiatkowski said.

Sitting right on the Gulf, about four feet of storm surge slammed the resort, he said.

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"It was devastating. You know, you kind of step back, and you get through the shock of it, and you get your feet under yourself, and you start to think, ‘ok, one, can we come back? Yes, we can. And two, how are we going to do it,’" he said. "There are so many steps in that process, and it's been, you know, not only a physical journey, but an emotional journey through this."

What they're saying:

Kwiatkowski said the community’s support energized them to get the property open.

"We're excited to bring Jimmy B’s and Beachcomber back to the community, and we all need that," he said.

"It's going to be emotional. We're going to do that ribbon cutting and, again, all the hard work and everybody involved in this, from our team members, to the pre-opening team. I think first, it's the emotions of we got there, and we're reopened and then, once we start to walk through the building and see our customers back, we are back to normalcy to some degree. So, we're looking forward to that. There’s still some work to get there to the 30th, but it's going to be emotional, but very rewarding, and ultimately, back to our happy place," Kwiatkowski said.

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He said people can expect the same Beachcomber and Jimmy B’s experience, because, he said, people love both and they didn’t want to change that.

What's next:

The resort is taking reservations now for stays starting Oct. 30. Jimmy B’s will open later that day, and they said check their social media pages for the latest information.