MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — Businesses along John's Pass faced a tough end to 2024. The damage that followed left some businesses closed for over two months, and some even longer than that.
"Its the slowest year we've had since 2020," says Amber Simmons, General Manager at Pirates Pub & Grub, "That's why I say we were blessed because we were closed 10 weeks which is a lot but in comparison to some people it's not because some people are still not working and some people dont have jobs."
And for the businesses that are now open, they are still feeling a dip in revenue.
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"Spring Break, really never happened for us, and then the summer swing, never happened for us," says Kirsten Smail, a marine educator for Dolphin Quest.
Many businesses along the boardwalk have been there for years, but all have been feeling a similar pain.
"I don't know if it's the hurricane, the economy, a mix of the two, but everybody around here that I spoke to has been down about 30% this year," says Angela Wilson from Mad Beach Watersports.
Now, looking forward to Labor Day, these businesses are hoping for better weeks ahead before the slower fall season.
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