Treasure Island businesses gear up for busy Memorial Day weekend following devastating hurricanes

Coastal communities brace for busy holiday weekend

FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia reports from Treasure Island.

TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. - Businesses on Treasure Island are gearing up for a busy Memorial Day weekend following last year’s devastating hurricane season.

Local perspective:

"It's exciting," Bilmar Beach Resort General Manager Clyde Smith told FOX 13 of the holiday. "This weekend is going to be fantastic."

Business at the beach hotel – and its adjoining restaurant, Sloppy Joe’s – was in full swing Friday.

"If you look out to the beach area, that's normal," Smith said. "The waves are rolling in. The cabanas are up. Our bicycles are out there."

Parking lots on Treasure Island were filled with guests and out-of-town cars from near and far Friday afternoon. But just seven months ago, those same spots were overflowing with damaged furniture, a sign of the devastation caused by the hurricanes.

PREVIOUS: Treasure Island’s iconic Thunderbird Beach Resort announces total teardown after hurricanes

The backstory:

Smith remembers like it was just yesterday: The Bilmar Beach Resort suffered significant damage to its first floor rooms.

"Well, I've never been through anything – in 47 years in the industry – like what happened last year," Smith added.

Dig deeper:

Fast forward to Memorial Day weekend and there are still signs of the recovery process: The historic Thunderbird Beach Resort recently announced they’re tearing everything down to start from scratch.

The family-owned Roth Hotel finally reopened their doors earlier this week.

READ: Family owned hotel in Sunset Beach reopens 8 months after Hurricane Helene: 'The place was decimated'

And while first-floor renovations continue at the Bilmar – guests will notice the hotel’s front desk is currently in the lobby of Sloppy Joe’s – Smith said they’re in great shape for the holiday weekend.

"We actually had a lot of rooms available just 10 days ago, and we're going to sell out tonight. So we're excited with that," Smith told FOX 13. "We are still doing some recovery from the storm – just our first floors – but all our pools and our amenities are all open. So things are going well on the beaches."

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The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia.

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