Leroy’s Southern Kitchen & Bar has been a staple in Punta Gorda for nearly a decade. However, the recent storms took a hit on business.
“I mean, three weeks without an income is a big impact on everybody,” said owner of Leroy’s Kitchen & Bar Lee Richardson.
Richardson told Charlotte County Community Correspondent Victoria Scott he dealt with nearly two feet of water after Helene.
You can watch Victoria’s full report here:
Punta Gorda business owner gives outlook on Charlotte County tourism after Milton
Milton only made things worse.
“Milton hit us even harder,” he said. “[It was] full of mud and all that junk.”
Richardson said tourism dollars will be crucial for the community as places continue to reopen.
“Their dollars will be beneficial to us after what we just dealt with here for sure,” he explained.
However, Richardson also told Scott why he believes Milton will impact tourism.
“This go-around, there’s not as much rebuilding that has to be done, I don’t believe, so I think this is going to definitely slow down the amount of people that are going to visit this region just due to the fact of people thinking the whole area is devastated.”