HMO 06 19

THE HAMMOCK

Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

DREAMY RESTAURANT 3 JUNE 2019

VOLUME 3, NO. 6

INSIDE 69 YEARS TOGETHER

Repairable after all New Bings report: Captain’s BBQ building can be fixed for $60,000. PAGE 2

Author next door

Ernie and Bea Wade were married on June 10, 1950.

PAGE 5

Writing bestselling vampire romances, with a view of the beach: Q+A with Hammock Dunes resident Lara Adrian PAGE 4

REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS PAGE 6

After Matthew, Ocean Shore Villa finally whole The 21 apartment-style rooms are 4.4 miles north of the Dunes Bridge.

DOMINIC-MADORI DAVIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Three years after Hurricane Matthew nearly destroyed the Ocean Shore Villa on State Road A1A, land manager Michael Murphy said recently that the pool is fixed and the property is back to normal.

“It was something out of a horror film,” Murphy said, recalling the flooding during Matthew. “I’d come around the corner and the water was halfway up [the] door.

It looked like you’re looking at an aquarium.”

During the hurricane, the pool

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SEE OCEAN SHORE PAGE 7

Lara Adrian has over 4 million copies of her 36 titles in print. She lives in Hammock Dunes full time.

Get involved Chamber wants Flagler Beach businesses to get involved in helping to overcome A1A construction impacts.

RAY BOONE SPORTS EDITOR

Local Postal Customer

Photo by Paola Rodriguez

The Flagler County Chamber of Commerce hosted a meeting on the afternoon of Thursday, May 30, to discuss possible solutions to the economic impact the construction along A1A has had on Flagler Beach businesses.

The discussion garnered participation from multiple areas of the community, including Chamber President Jorge Gutierrez, Chamber Vice President Robbin Wilson, Eco-

nomic Development Task Force member Mike Akialis, Oceanside Beach Bar and Grill owner Johnny Lulgjuraj and Tourism Development Interim Executive Director Amy Lukasik, as well as a representative from the Flagler Beach Police Department.

Their message: Show up to the table.

“We’re hoping that will spear thought and conversation outside of what we already have,” Wilson said. “It’s a universal issue. We deal with it every year. The difference is it’s super, super concentrated. It’s not going to go away unless we have a plan to offset it.”

There is hope for a panel to present solutions at the Chamber’s Common Ground Breakfast, which was scheduled for June 20.

Multiple representatives at

Photo by Ray Boone

Construction along A1A in Flagler Beach.

the meeting voiced their frustration with the lack of involvement from other business owners in the community.

“We’re sacrificing the Common Ground, really, for Flagler Beach,” Gutierrez said. “If no one shows up, I’m telling you guys, I’m done. No more. People are not coming up to the board.

This is it. One last-ditch effort.

We’re trying to put something together that’s not just for Flagler Beach, but for the whole county.”

“Other business owners have to come to the table.

We’re here. We’re trying to work together to formulate something.”

AMY LUKASIK, Flagler County Tourism Development Interim Executive Director

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JUNE 2019

Captain’s BBQ building to be repaired in place JONATHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

Bings Landing advocates who’ve encouraged the county not to allow the expansion and relocation of Captain’s BBQ showed up to a Flagler County Commission meeting June 17, as they have multiple times in the past. But this time they’d arrived to express their appreciation of the county, not to criticize it.

“I wanted to come and say some thank yous,” said Lynne Rosewater. She added that she wanted to begin with Commissioner Dave Sullivan, who’d brought up his reservations about a lease that the commission — himself included — had approved with the restaurant during a previous meeting.

“I think it took a lot of courage to come back ... and share your doubts,” she said.

At the June 17 meeting, County Administrator Jerry Cameron explained that the county — after commissioners during a prior meeting decided to see if it would be feasible to fix rather than replace the county building that houses Captain’s BBQ at Bings Landing park — had discovered that not only was the damage repairable, it was repairable for only $60,000.

The revelation followed half a year of wrangling, numerous protests, and a lawsuit over what

to do about the building, all based on the previous county administration’s assertion that the building’s condition was bad enough that it warranted replacement rather than fixing.

Cameron explained how the previous administration’s error occurred.

“The assumption that we had operated under previously was that the building had uniformly deteriorated throughout the structure,” and that the kind of mold and fungus-based deterioration seen on the interior walls would also be present on exterior ones. But it wasn’t, the county found after assigning its own staff members to conduct more invasive testing over the past two weeks. “The building official came back with a report to me that not only were the exterior walls in much better shape than the interior structure, but in some places they were pristine and like-new condition,” Cameron said.

The previous administration had proposed the construction of a new building at the restaurant’s expense elsewhere in the park. That plan would have let the restaurant operate without the interruption that would have accompanied rebuilding it in place, but it prompted outcry from residents concerned that the relocation would change the character of the popular park on

Photo by Jonathan Simmons

County Commissioner Joe Mullins listens to comments by County Administrator Jerry Cameron, at left. Commissioner David Sullivan is at right.

the Intracoastal Waterway.

The county approved a new lease with the restaurant in November that would have allowed the relocation and an expansion to 150 seats, but two weeks later, after incoming County Commissioner Joe Mullins was seated, it changed plans, voting to reconsider the lease it had already signed. Then, on June 3, it decided to have the building reinspected to see if it could be fixed. And if it couldn’t, commissioners decided, they’d have a modestly sized replace-

ment constructed at the county’s expense.

Meanwhile, on June 7, Captain’s sued the county, alleging that the county has breached the contract it entered into with Captain’s in November when it agreed to allow a larger, replacement building.

When the County Commission opted to have the building reinspected by its own staff, it also hired an appraiser to evaluate the building. That appraisal gave the structure a value of $175,000. The value is relevant because county

officials under the administration of former County Administrator Craig Coffey had, last year, expressed concern that an attempt to repair the building in place may involve costs exceeding 50% of its value, the threshold that would require the old building to be brought up to new building codes, at potentially significant expense. The new $60,000 estimate is well below that threshold.

Chief Building Official Mark Boice inspected the roofing, walls, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and flooring. There were “prominent deficiencies” with the flooring and sub-flooring, with soft spots in the dining area, kitchen and bathrooms, according to his report.

However, the report states, “the overall integrity of the building was good.”

Still, Cameron said in a county government news release June 14, “We must be careful not to guarantee that the building will meet expectations. Although the areas we inspected are very encouraging, there may be issues in other areas not uncovered.”

At this point, the county estimates that 970 feet of flooring and sub flooring need replacement or repair, along with the restaurant’s restrooms, at a cost of $46,000. In addition, 1,200 square feet of OSB siding needs replacement, at a cost of $4,800.

Some electrical issues also need fixing, for about $200.

The business would need to shut down for about four weeks for repairs to be completed, according to the report.

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Contrary to what the previous administration decided, now the county says the current building can be made workable through the end of the restaurant’s lease in 2026, for $60,000 and a four-week interruption.

HAMMOCK OBSERVER

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From ‘Doomsday Castle’ to dream restaurant

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JUNE 2019

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“You’re successful because of passion, [and] you’ve got to believe it. No matter what anyone says.”

Brent Bruns’ vision is a destination restaurant named The Shape of Water, with streams and waterfalls.

State Road A1A in The Hammock could soon be home to one of the most innovative restaurants in Flagler County and beyond. The restaurant, which will be known as The Shape of Water: The Restaurant, is under construction by a former TV reality show star — Brent Bruns, of “Doomsday Castle” fame — and is set to open by late 2020.

“I want to show you something you’ve never seen before,” Bruns said of the restaurant, in a walking tour of the property.

The restaurant’s name takes inspiration from the 2017 Academy Award-winning film and will offer a luxury dining experience. Bruns’ architectural designs are intricate; he wants to build a restaurant as whimsical as it is elegant. Diners will be surrounded by water structures, including rivers, a cave, waterfalls and a floating mountain. So far, the rivers are formed and a faux bois bridge is complete. Other structures are not yet started or are still being formed on chicken wire.

He’s doing most of the construction work himself, he said.

The restaurant will have room to seat 40 people outside, all by reservation, with hopes to expand

to 40 seats inside as well. There will even be an upstairs area perfect for marriage proposals, and foliage installed around the property to ensure privacy, he said.

He plans on it being a destination restaurant, drawing diners from surrounding counties.

“Everybody I talk to tells me I’m going to fail in the restaurant business,” he said. “But I think ... sometimes people make it hard on themselves.”

Bruns has a degree in aeronautical engineering, and work experience as a structural engineer.

Most of his career has been spent in high-end real estate, and he spent some time living in South Carolina.

From 1974 to 1996, Bruns led the largest screen printing operation in the South, printing 25,000 garments a day, he said; he also spent a few years in textile machinery. He went to saki school to learn how to make saki, he went to acupuncture school to learn acupuncture, and even had a stint on the cult television show “Doomsday Castle,” currently available to rent on Amazon and iTunes.

But he’s never run a restaurant.

“Every business that I started — I didn’t know anything about it either,” he said. “It’s more about passion and my feeling. You can

Photo by Brian McMillan

Brent Bruns, former star of “Doomsday Castle,” has a dream of a restaurant like you’ve never seen before.

learn it, or you can find people, but I can’t find somebody to do what’s in my head, so I go home at night and like, three or five in the morning, I’m sitting here trying to design how this thing will work structurally and do it.”

Bruns is working with artist Jennifer Butler to create some of the key architectural elements of the restaurant, including the faux bois bridges.

“When we came here, this whole place was overgrown,” she said. “We had to disassemble all of that, cut everything out, just starting from bare nothing.”

Butler is Bruns’ hairdresser and met him after he helped her design her home hair salon. He initially brought Butler on to help design the garden area, but her role quickly expanded. Now, she serves as creative director for the entire project.

“I’ve just always been inter-

ested in art and building,” she said. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t really paint, like I just lend my hands, because even I’m surprised sometimes when I’m finished.”

For Bruns, the next step will be looking for investors, and then a chef.

But right now, he is gathering his permits; making sure his site map is up to county code, and all his variances are in accordance with state and city regulations.

That, and trying to compromise with the neighbors who are less than pleased that he is trying to build a waterfall and luxury restaurant in their backyard.

In the end, Bruns is hopeful it will all work out.

“You’re successful because of passion, [and] you’ve got to believe it,” he said. “No matter what anyone says.”

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JUNE 2019

Q+ A LARA ADRIAN

Writing bestselling vampire romances, with a view of the beach BRIAN MCMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

T

ina St. John was told after publishing seven historical romance novels with Random House that the genre had dried up, so was there another direction she would like to take? She said she had always wanted to write vampire novels. That suggestion didn’t go so well in the years before Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series: St. John’s publisher told her there wasn’t a market for vampire books, either.

But she persisted, and her “Midnight Breed” series hit all the big bestsellers lists around the world under St. John’s new pen name, Lara Adrian. She now has more than 4 million copies of her books in print and has since dropped Random House in favor of self-publishing to gain more control of the process — and the profit. She hasn’t looked back.

Adrian and her husband, John, used to visit Florida from New England often, and, when they decided to move here, they looked for a place where there were no recent hurricane strikes.

Soon after they settled in Hammock Dunes full time three years ago, they were greeted with Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Irma. But they haven’t gone anywhere, and Adrian has continued her successful writing career in view of the beach. She spoke with The Hammock Observer on June 13.

Q: What made you decide to quit your day job in 1995, at age 28, and become a full-time writer?

A: I always wanted to be a writer,

but my parents were pretty practical and would not have steered me in that direction.

John encouraged me because he had read some of the things

that I had played around with.

He said, “Why don’t you give it a go?” Naively, I told him, “It’s September. I have three months till the end of the year. I’ll write this book and I’ll start marketing to New York in January.” Christmas rolled around, and I had three miserable chapters; they were horrible. I said, “This book is never going to sell. I have to start over again.” And it took me two years and a lot of research, and that was the one that got me published (“Lord of Vengeance,” 1998, Random House).

I don’t advise people to quit their day job.

Q: What went into the decision to rebrand yourself as Lara Adrian?

A: Since I was starting over, I

wanted to come up with a completely different name. S’s are at ankle level in the bookstore, so I decided to pick an A. I wanted to be at eye level, in the first slot. (She laughs.) This is my business, so I look at it from a marketing standpoint. I wanted my name to be short because I wanted it to be larger on the book cover.

Q: When you announced your forthcoming book, “Break the Day,” a fan posted about the series: “I have read them all multiple times!” How do you feel when see reactions like that?

Q: Why do you feel a happy ending is important?

A: A happy ending is essential

Photo by Paola Rodriguez

A: It’s incredibly gratifying,

because I spend months with these characters and this story by myself. So hearing readers say they’ve loved it read it multiples times, it’s the ultimate compliment. I’ve had readers get tattoos of the Breedmate mark (a teardrop falling into a cradle of a crescent moon). That was unexpected.

One reader said she and her mother loved my series, and as her mother was dying of cancer, the daughter would read them at her bedside, and that to me is just incredible. I never dreamed my books would touch people like that. I was just telling stories — I didn’t expect it to be woven into somebody’s life, especially at a moment like that. It’s very humbling.

FOR ALL YOUR PROPANE NEEDS

in a romance novel. That’s what differentiates it from a love story.

In a love story, like Nicholas Sparks — he could kill off a main character. That’s never going to happen in romance novel.

They’re safe, generally speaking.

However, with the indie revolution, we have a lot of young writers coming up, and they were not necessarily groomed by a New York City publishing house. They are willing to take some risks with their characters and storylines, which is exciting, but I want my readers to know this is a safe place to land. No matter how angst-ridden the path to happily-ever-after it is, they will get there.

I read widely, but when I’m reading a romance novel, I’m reading it for a reason. Maybe I had a bad day, and I need a breath of fresh air, a change of scenery, and I don’t want to get to the end of it and be upset or sad. I want to be able to count on something that day.

MORE ONLINE: Q: Chicago Tribune called your books “addictively readable.”

What makes them addictive?

Q: What is your secret to productivity?

Q: What are some of your rules for writing a page-turner?

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To have and to hold, 69 years later Ernie and Bea Wade were married on June 10, 1950.

PAIGE WILSON COMMUNITY EDITOR

Ernie Wade’s first impression of his wife can be summed up in one word: “beautiful.”

Sixty-nine years of marriage later, speaking about Bea Wade brought tears to his eyes.

“I haven’t regretted one day of being married to her,” he said.

Ernie and Bea Wade, now 95 and 92 respectively, held a vow renewal ceremony on June 10, the day of their 69th wedding anniversary, at Market Street in Palm Coast.

While the couple lived in Sea Colony for 30 years, Bea Wade was moved to Market Street, a memory care facility at 2 Corporate Drive, on May 1.

The main plaza of the facility was converted into the ceremony space, lined with red roses and white lilies. Father Jason Trull, of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, led the ceremony.

“This was a surprise,” Bea Wade said with a big smile on her face.

“It’s a blessing.”

Ernie Wade still remembers the night he met the love of this life.

About a year after he finished serving in the U.S. Army in World War II, he was studying for an important test at a school in Washington, D.C., he said.

While he was studying, Ernie Wade’s roommate, Pat, walked in upset because his lady had ended

Photo by Paige Wilson

Father Jason Trull of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church leads the vow renewal ceremony for Ernie and Bea Wade.

things with him.

“He wouldn’t shut up, and I couldn’t do any studying,” Ernie Wade recalled. “I said, ‘C’mon, Pat, I’m going to take you out and find you a girlfriend.’”

The two went to a local Knights of Columbus venue where the USO performed. Ernie Wade told Pat to dance with a lovely lady he spotted, but Pat said that she wasn’t his type. This happened a view times, Ernie Wade said.

“I said, well Pat, while you’re looking for your type, I’m going to go dance with the first girl. She

became my wife. … I took him out to find a girlfriend, and I found a wife.”

“I haven’t regretted one day of being married to her.”

ERNIE WADE, Sea Colony resident Photo by Paige Wilson

Ernie Wade leans down to kiss his wife of 69 years, Bea Wade, after their vow renewal ceremony.

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Top real estate transaction in the Hammock: $1,359,000

A

house in Hammock Beach was the top real estate transaction for March 6 to May 8. Suntrust Bank, of Atlanta, sold 21 Ocean Ridge Blvd. S. to Eileen Tucker, as trustee, for $1,359,000. Built in 2000, the house has six bedrooms, 5.5 baths, a fireplace, swimming pool, shared dune walk and 7,497 square feet.

Following is a partial list of other sales for the week.

WAYNE GRANT REAL ESTATE EDITOR

HAMMOCK BEACH Nicholas and Inger Foster, of Katonah, New York, sold 37 Northshore Drive to James and Ellen Reich, of Marshfield Hills, Maine, for $745,000.

Built in 2005, the house has four bedrooms, three baths, a fireplace, swimming pool and 3,149 square feet.

Joseph and Judith Roy, of Palm Coast, sold 38 Oak View Circle to Robert and Mary Meisenheimer, of Palm Coast, for $685,000. Built in 2006, the house has four bedrooms, three baths, a fireplace, swimming pool and 2,668 square feet. It sold in 2006 for $1,220,000.

David and Cori DeFrancis, and Angelia DeFrancis, of Atlanta, sold 200 Ocean Crest Drive, Unit 505, to Dionisio and Isabel Valente, of North Attleboro,

Massachusetts, for $377,500.

Built in 2003, the condo has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,435 square feet. It sold in 2004 for $800,000.

John Reynolds, of Kemah, Texas, sold 200 Ocean Crest Drive, Unit 117, to Benjamin and Diana Peticca, of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, for $338,000.

Built in 2003, the condo has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,676 square feet. It sold in 2003 for $585,000 Robert and Mary Meisenheimer, of Green Cove Springs, sold 15 Ocean Crest Way, Unit 1341, to Austin Miller and Sara Ditzel-Miller, as trustees, for $315,000. Built in 2005, the condo has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,696 square feet. It sold in 2006 for $760,000.

Robert Eberspacher, of Libertyville, Illinois, sold 35 Ocean Crest Way, Unit 1143, to Connie Davis, as trustee, for $285,000.

Built in 2003, the condo has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,160 square feet. It sold in 2003 for $341,300.

Carithers-Wallace-Courtenay Properties LLC sold 35 Ocean Crest Way, Unit 1132, to Christina Berger, of St. Augustine, for $200,000. Built in 2003, the condo has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,264 square feet. It sold in 2005 for $495,000.

HAMMOCK DUNES Pushpa and Surrender Patel, of Brandon, sold 85 Avenue de la Mer, Unit 1001, to Gregory and Patricia Rose, of Palm Coast, for $1,149,000. Built in 2006, the condo has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,070 square feet. It sold in 2007 for $1,550,000.

Joan Campbell and Molly Kapsner, individually and as trustees, sold 10 Cordoba Court to Fresh Waters Industries Inc., of Palm Coast, for $727,000.

Built in 1998, the house has five bedrooms, five baths, fireplace, swimming pool and 4,605 square feet.

Gregory and Patricia Rose, of Palm Coast, sold 19 Avenue de la Mer, Unit 202, to Irene Hynes, as trustee, for $690,000. Built in 2005, the condo has two bedrooms, 2.5 baths and 2,340 square feet. It sold in 2016 for $600,000.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

MARCH 6 - MAY 8

William and Pamela Woodward, of Jacksonville, sold 10 San Marco Court to Donald and Lana Steimle, of Palm Coast, for $677,500. Built in 1998, the house has three bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a fireplace, swimming pool and 3,507 square feet.

Warren and Catherine Crooks, of Marietta, Georgia, sold 25 Casa Bella Circle, Unit 1302, to Barbara Wickham, individually and as trustee, for $490,000.

Built in 2005, the condo has three bedrooms, 2.5 baths and 2,463 square feet. It sold in 2007 for $749,000.

OCEAN HAMMOCK Richard and Nicolina Davies, as trustees, sold 14 Flagship Drive to Thomas and Linda Hellman, of Palm Coast, for $500,000.

Built in 2011, the house has three bedrooms, three baths, a fireplace, swimming pool and 2,274 square feet. It sold in 2015 for $425,000.

Frederick Harbour and Jonee Christenson, of Palm Coast, sold 22 Blue Heron Lane to Carlos Rodriguez, of Palm Coast, for $455,000. Built in 2000, the house has three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a swimming pool and 2,177 square feet. It sold in 2003 for $528,000.

Palm Coast, for $370,000. Built in 2005, the condo has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,682 square feet. It sold in 2005 for $646,100.

Ali and Mary Lou Bleecker, individually and as trustees, sold 300 Cinnamon Beach Way, Unit 245, to William and Carol Haley, of Elk Rapids, Michigan, for $325,000. Built in 2005, the condo has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,003 square feet. It sold in 2006 for $705,000.

Andrew Toxey, of Orlando, sold 400 Cinnamon Beach Way, Unit 333, to Alan and Sharon Jacobs, of Commack, New York, for $320,000. Built in 2005, the condo has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,344 square feet. It sold in 2005 for $525,000.

Timothy Haszard and Hugh Peters, of St. Augustine, sold 1200 Cinnamon Beach Way, Unit 1124, to Richard and Stephanie Lawson, of Hardy, Virginia, for $280,000. Built in 2004, the condo has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,682 square feet. It sold in 2004 for $432,700.

Toby Tobin, of gotoby.com, contributed to this report.

Richard and Kari Beckman, of Canton, Georgia, sold 200 Cinnamon Beach Way, Unit 144, to Terry and Teresa Tincher, of

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JUNE 2019

Finally: Ocean Shore Villa is fully recovered after Matthew CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

was home for the sea animals which rode the six-foot water wave that hit the Villa, which is 4.4 miles north of the Hammock Dunes Bridge. And then, just as Murphy was to begin rebuilding the property, Hurricane Irma hit.

Once again the Ocean Shore Villa was thrown into chaos. And by the time Murphy could attend to the pool, it had succumbed to black algae, and cost $11,000 to repair.

“Everything else died,” he said.

THE OCEAN SHORE DREAM

The Ocean Shore Villa is a small place. According to Murphy, it was built by a family from New York who wanted a place to escape to during the colder months. It has only 21 studio-apartment styled rooms, and it sees most of its activity from snowbirds or Disney vacationers.

Many residents even stay long term. “You can’t beat my rates,” Murphy said. “I’m the cheapest ticket in town.”

Murphy has worked at the Ocean Shore Villa for 13 years.

And, after the Villa was hit backto-back with near catastrophic hurricanes, Murphy has yet to leave.

“Since the first hurricane I haven’t left,” he said. “I sold my house in Palm Coast.”

Originally from Massachusetts, Murphy retired from his job in construction and moved to Flagler County so he could be closer to his aging parents.

He took on the land manager role at Ocean Shore Villa to make extra money and says though he was used to the strong nor’easters which would hit the Cape Cod coast each winter, he never saw anything as bad as Hurricane Matthew.

“I walked out that door and the wind started to pull me,” he said.

“The maintenance guy had to

THE DAY OF THE HURRICANE

Murphy still remembers the harrowing details of the day Hurricane Matthew hit the Villa: the images of residents canoeing across the highway to check on the homes they had left behind; the dead deer and hogs in the parking lot; the water that had been polluted with septic spill; and there were so many looters that the National Guard had to block off the neighborhood.

“It was horrible,” Murphy said.

“Like you wake up in the morning, you see yourself, [you say] ‘Why am I alive?’ It was that bad.”

Air conditioning units had been ripped from the walls, and a wall of water had knocked down all the telephone poles.

Murphy even had to hide his 12-year-old dog upstairs in one of the studio apartments, and leave his miniature black stallion in the laundry room downstairs.

“I had a 3-year-old beautiful Cadillac in the parking lot gone, pickup truck gone, Kawasaki four-wheel-drive Mule gone,” he said. “I personally, myself, lost about between $25,000 and $30,000.”

This was on top of the $20,000 damage done to the Villa.

Murphy knew it was dangerous to stay during the hurricanes.

The Villa sits at sea level and was under a mandatory evacuation order. The ocean is less than a mile away, and Murphy knew he was risking his life by staying on the property.

But there were guests who refused to leave, so Murphy decided to stay with them. “[They] said they’re not going to leave their belongings behind,” he said. “I felt kind of responsible because some are more elderly and I couldn’t make them leave

Ocean Shore Villa is back to normal, three years after Hurricane Matthew.

…. so I figured I better stay here just to keep an eye on them.”

The days which followed were grim, and assistance didn’t come for months.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency refused to send workers to the area while the flooding waters were still contaminated with septic, Murphy said, so the Villa went almost a month without electricity and clean water.

“People really needed help back here, and a lot of them didn’t get any,” said Patricia Gordon, resident and housekeeper of the Ocean Shore Villa.

“The good thing was,” Murphy said, “ … Red Cross came and set up a [food] station out here every morning and every evening for the local people that stayed. They served hot meals and things like that, but [the aftermath] was just horrible.”

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

After Hurricane Matthew, the Villa began to prep for Hurricane Irma.

Irma had near catastrophic

winds, and spawned a tornado that touched down just across the street from the property.

“It’s taken a long time to recover,” her said. “It’s basically been three years.”

But now, the Villa is in full recovery mode.

The rooms are 100% rentable, and the only modifications to the property are for cosmetic reasons.

The owner, who once thought about selling it after all the damage, has been paying out of pocket for repairs.

Aside from the new pool, the Villa put in new flooring, furniture, and had the whole property rewired. The inspector just approved the new pool, and now workers have come in to redo the windows.

This three-year journey is now nearing its end, and Murphy couldn’t be more relieved.

“See, from up north, I don’t know hurricanes,” he said. “But I do now and the next time I hear ‘hurricane,’ I’m scrambling … I’ll never stay through another one.”

Photo by Dominic-Madori Davis

Recalling the flooding during Matthew: “It was something out of a horror film I’d come around the corner and the water was halfway up [the] door. It looked like you’re looking at an aquarium.”

MICHAEL MURPHY,

Ocean Shore Villa manager

e Experts L e r T A LC 1 A Rick Crouse, owner Licensed and Insured

Office: 386-264-6281 Cell: 904-669-7743

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grab my legs and hold me down and pull me back into the room, the wind was that strong. And I’m a pretty big guy.”

“Simply stellar service and quality work! After a botched job by a big box store, Stacy’s crew swooped in and knocked it outta the park. He installed carpet in a few rooms and replaced the kitchen floor and both look gorgeous! Not to mention, he even beat their price.”

-Pete S.

4720 E Hwy 100, One Block West of Target 386.437.0018 Mon - Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 9am-1pm

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JUNE 2019

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Stop by Our Palm Harbor Office and Visit Your Local Agents!

Mari Parks

Owner - Broker - REALTOR®

(386) 569-6947

mari@takeactionproperties.com

Scott Parks REALTOR®

(386) 569-6929

scott@takeactionproperties.com

We have consolidated our offices. Our Palm Harbor office will be open for normal business hours. We look forward to serving all of your real estate needs.

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