Business owners along the St. Johns River have long depended on the waterway to bring tourists, fishermen and boaters into their shops, restaurants and campgrounds during the busy fall and winter months.
But after Hurricane Irma’s heavy rains swelled the waterway and flooded properties, it forced many of those businesses to close their doors — in some cases for weeks — and lose the lucrative income from seasonal visitors. Now, more than two months after Irma swept across Florida, life is finally returning to normal for many of them.
James Powell reopened his Astor Landing Campground and Marina along the St. Johns in northeast Lake County about two weeks ago. He figures he lost about $45,000 from canceled reservations and campers leaving as he waited for the river’s water levels to recede.
“Our whole town suffered because of the high water levels,” said Powell, 51, whose family has operated campgrounds in Astor since the early 1960s. “We’re really dependent on this river, because it’s our lifeblood. … We’re now just getting back to normal.”
The St. Johns flows 310 miles northward from Indian River County to the Atlantic Ocean in Jacksonville. Because it collects rainwater along the way — including from the Wekiva River Basin in Central Florida — it will typically bulge and overflow at choke points in Astor and along Lake Monroe in Sanford when heavy rains strike.
In Astor, for example, the St. Johns crested 4.3 feet above flood stage levels days after Sept. 11, according to the National Weather Service.
Leilani Hutchinson, who owns Astor’s Floridian Inn, is also “returning to a state of normalcy” after her business was closed for nearly two months after Irma damaged buildings and ruined landscaping with floodwaters. She estimates she lost about $4,000 in canceled reservations for her three efficiency suites.
“I’ve lived on this property for 40 years, and I’ve never been impacted like we were after this hurricane,” Hutchinson, 63, said. “This was a freak of nature.”
After reopening about two weeks ago, her inn was fully booked during the Thanksgiving weekend.
To lend a hand, Lake County commissioners on Nov. 21 approved a grant program that will provide Astor business owners that rely on tourism up to $6,000 to help spread the word that they are back in business. The money can be used for marketing and advertising.
“The last eight weeks have been particularly difficult for the Astor community because it is heavily dependent on the St. Johns River or access to the St. Johns River,” said Robert Chandler, executive director for the county’s Visit Lake office. “This is all about getting the word out that Astor is a pretty neat place that many people may not know about.”
Tina Nordel, who owns the Blackwater Inn restaurant and the St. Johns River Boat tours in Astor, welcomed news of the grant program.
The river’s high water levels flooded her docks and forced her to stop operating her tour boats for nearly two months. But this month, her boat captain set sail again to offer twice-daily, two-hour tours of the waterway.
“We want to let everyone know that we’re rolling again,” Nordel said.
But it’s not just Lake County businesses that were affected by St. Johns’ high waters.
In downtown Sanford, Riverwalk Pizzeria was one of several businesses on Marina Isle on the southern shore of Lake Monroe that closed for several days because the water spilled over the sea wall and flooded North Palmetto Avenue, making it impassable for customers and workers.
City officials used asphalt millings and sandbags to build a temporary bridge at Palmetto and East Seminole Boulevard to help motorists reach businesses on Marina Isle.
“There was so much water that people couldn’t get across, and that hurt our business,” said Maria Rodriguez of Riverwalk Pizzeria, recalling the days after Irma. “But now everything is better.”
City officials have since plowed away the temporary bridge and re-opened East Seminole Boulevard between Sanford and Mellonville avenues after the lake levels receded.
Larry Picardat, general manager of Wolfy’s Lakefront Bar and Grill, estimated his business lost about $15,000 because customers were not able to drive on East Seminole Boulevard.
“It slowed down quite a bit for us,” he said.
Nancy Brand, a realtor, has lived near the St. Johns River in northeast Lake County for nearly 25 years. Her home abuts a canal fed by the waterway.
“I went through all the hurricanes,” Brand said. “But I can tell you: Never, never has it ever been like this. But now this area is slowly starting to recover. Thank goodness. It’s good news for everybody.”
mcomas@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5718