Hurricane Ian: One Year Later

24 • HURRICANE IAN: ONE YEAR LATER • 2023 RECORD NUMBERS Jessica Orlando Staff Writer ENGLEWOOD — Hurricane Ian may have knocked out neighborhoods, but hotels and inns were there to make sure that community members had a place to stay. Tourism also seems to be bouncing back a year after Ian. CHARLOTTE COUNTY The Charlotte County Tourist Development Council said the region experienced a hit to many of the hotels and inns due to Hurricane Ian. Director of Tourism Sean Doherty spoke about the experiences and challenges the department faced. "It was expected because of the magnitude of Ian, but our July numbers were down since last year," Doherty said. "Lodging in Punta Gorda was hit hard, and some still haven't reopened." The department relies on a bed tax that helps fund tourism. The tax is charged for those that use lodging, but after Ian, the tax experienced a large dip since many of the lodging was out of commission or being used for the displaced and workers. Around March, Charlotte County tourism noticed an infl ux of bed tax collection. The $1.1 million uptick provided evidence that hotels and inns were making a comeback after Ian. "Going into 2023, we collected the second largest bed tax ever." Doherty said that most hotels and inns have made a comeback besides a few that are still working on repairs like the Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor and Hampton Inn in North Port. "We're hopeful these properties will come back," Doherty said. In the initial aftermath of Ian, many homeowners were displaced due to the unlivable conditions of their homes at the time. Hotels and inns helped with displaced individuals by offering shelter. "Some of the hotels housed displaced residents for a short while until FEMA stepped in and provided other options for housing," he said. "We noticed that in our yearly reports during the couple of months after Ian." Doherty said that they also noticed an uptick in out-of-town visitors in the following months of Ian as well. "A lot of out-of-state laborers came down to help with damages," he said. "Roofers and insurance adjusters were some of the largest groups using lodging right after Ian." SARASOTA COUNTY Sarasota County's bed tax also seems to be doing quite well lately. According to the latest report from Tax Collector Barbara Ford-Coates' offi ce, the county will surpass records from 2022. Through May, according to the report, Sarasota County collected almost $38 million in tourist development taxes, commonly referred to as the "bed tax." That's almost 94% of what was collected in 2022. For each month covered in the current report — March through May — collections exceeded the totals set during the same period in 2022. In North Port, collections of the tax over the fi rst eight months of the current fi scal year total $317,542, exceeding the total amount collected in all of 2022 of $291,038. In Venice, the total collected through the fi rst eight months is $1,705,847, also exceeding the amount collected in 2022 of $1,599,139. Over in Englewood, the Sun Life Beach Hotel faired well during Hurricane Ian. Owners Ana and Mike Pearl helped out their community as much as they could by providing shelter and meals. "We had around $25,000 in damages, but they were all outside of the hotel," Pearl said. "The building itself had a new roof and concrete walls so I think that saved us." The hotel was one of the fi rst to open after Ian since damages were relatively minor. The couple helped shelter several fi rst responders and linemen. "We didn't charge them because we weren't fully operational, so it didn't feel right," she said. "The linemen needed somewhere to stay or else they would have been sleeping in their trucks." A senior citizen center is next door to the hotel, and many of them chose to stay during Ian. The Pearls offered their assistance since their hotel had power soon after Ian. "We cooked meals for them, and there was a woman who hurt her leg from Ian, so we helped her, too," Pearl said. "Most of them came to stay at the hotel for a while, too." The Pearls still have some residents at the hotel due to being displaced from Ian. "It's hard to turn people away in the community when they are struggling with homelessness, especially because of things out of their control like Ian." Pearl said that the hotel was lucky to not be damaged as bad as some of the other houses in Englewood. "All in all, I think we did pretty good," she said. "It was also nice to help our community, too." SUN PHOTO BY SCOTT LAWSON Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor is under construction. Hotels, inns damaged, but returning to For each month covered in the current report — March through May — collections exceeded the totals set during the same period in 2022. PROVIDED BY SEAN DOHERTY Sean Doherty, tourism director for Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor & Convention Bureau

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