TAMPA, Fla. — Some businesses destroyed by Hurricane Milton in 2024 are still recovering and reopening in Tampa.

One of those businesses in located on Fowler Avenue, where the streets were flooded with feet of water after storm drainage, pump and generator failures.

What You Need To Know

The Blue Flame Southern Restaurant is finally able to reopen its doors.

Barbecue ribs, meatloaf and collard greens are all on the menu. It’s a menu that many wondered if they would see again after damage caused by Milton.

Customers lined up Wednesday for the reopening.

But now, after more than a year of restoration work, the Blue Flame Southern Restaurant is finally able to reopen its doors.

Sixteen months ago, their parking lot was filled with water and debris. It’s not at all what the owners thought they would find. They also had no idea it would take this long to reopen. But they’re back open now, and there is no shortage of community support.

Tamika Vaught owns Blue Flame Southern Restaurant. Barbecue ribs, meatloaf and collard greens are all on the menu. It’s a menu that many wondered if they would see again after damage caused by Milton.

“Everything was destroyed,” Vaught said.

Pictures showed the high-water levels and the damage done to its roof — it took months to repair.

“The landlord. They kinda poked around. I guess they was waiting on insurance money,” Vaught said. “So, that took about eight to nine months and then they came and started fixing everything and that took another eight or nine months.”

Then it was time to reopen and staff her restaurant.

“They went and found other jobs and when I called them and let them know it was time to come back to work, they gave their two weeks and they came back,” Vaught said.

She says the staff here is more like family. In fact, many of them are family. Her mom, Sheena Lewis, also had to find work after seeing the damage caused by the storm.

“Oh, I was hurt. But the thing was I wasn’t that bad because I thought they was gonna come get it back together. But you see now it took a whole year for them to get it back together. But it’s been a long process, but I knew we were coming back,” Lewis said.

Back and better than ever, if you ask Manetha Paris. Like the people who lined up as soon as the doors opened at noon, she said she couldn’t wait for this day, and she says it’s for a good reason.

“I’ve been up since 5:30 a.m. this morning calling all my girlfriends letting them know, ‘You gotta be in line’ and they’re behind us now,” Paris said. “This is my spot. If I want that good southern comfort food that’s always consistent, I’m coming to Blue Flame. So not having this in our community has really hurt us.”

A consistent community staple that survived a storm they never thought they would see. Now prepared for anything else that comes its way.