PUNTA GORDA — As Hurricane Milton floodwaters poured into shops at Fishermen’s Village, thousands of dollars in losses added up for the Simply Sweet candy shop.
For 24 days, the candy store — at the entrance of one of Punta Gorda’s landmarks and tourist destinations — was closed.
“A day after the hurricane, I came into the store to find our outside chairs inside against the glass windows,” said Kim Sasenbery, general manager. “There was what felt like a sticky, glue film mixed with sand on the windows. I got sick to my stomach at all of the damage.”
Sasenbery washed the windows eight times to get rid of all of the sandy slime.
“I had to throw away the popcorn and everything else that was destroyed,” she said. “We had to start all over again. It was hard because we didn’t have electricity or water for a long time.”
Sasenbery said before the water was restored, Fishermen’s Village had “elves” decorating and creating festive areas near the shops for families to take photos. They added tall Santa statues and worked as best as they could around hurricane damage while preparing for the reopening.