ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — As Memorial Day weekend begins, beachside businesses are hoping for a strong start to the summer tourism season after a difficult year marked by hurricane recovery.
Some iconic spots along St. Pete Beach remain closed, including the Bellwether Beach Resort and its rotating top-floor restaurant, as well as the former hotspot the Postcard Inn. While there’s no projected timeline for the Bellwether’s reopening, the Postcard Inn plans to reopen later this year under a new brand.
On nearby Corey Avenue, a number of shops and restaurants are open this Memorial Day weekend that weren’t in time for last year’s holiday.
That includes Cat Lepetit’s beach boutique Sun Drunk. She lost all her inventory in the back-to-back 2024 hurricanes and reopened formally last fall. She’s hoping for an increase in foot traffic and more support from local residents, as more than 75% of her business right now she says comes from tourists.
“I try to be a positive person and look at the glass half full,” Lepetit said. “So when I moved here, I thought this is the hurricane of 100 years. It won’t happen again. It can’t happen again.”
Just down the street at Chill Restaurant & Bar, owner Ken Hautmann says snowbirds and spring break travelers led to a strong start to 2026, but he has seen fewer local residents following the storms. Their business is vital during the slower summer months.
“We haven’t seen as many of the locals that we used to have,” Hautmann said. “The tourists were here pretty decent for the season, and now we need to remind the people that live in Pinellas County that hey, Corey Avenue is here, it’s open and we’re back to good, so come and see us.”
Along Corey Avenue, several storefronts are still under repair, though many are expected to reopen in the coming months as the area continues rebuilding ahead of the busy summer season.