Architecture firm readies for post-Ian business surge, including doubling payroll

Like many Tampa Bay residents, Sean Williams, co-founder and principal of St. Petersburg-based Carbon Design & Architecture, evacuated the area to avoid the path of Hurricane Ian. Williams’ home is in Feather Sound, a northern St. Pete enclave, and his office is downtown — both flood-prone areas — so he and his family fled for Fort Lauderdale, where his brother-in-law lives.

“We went back and forth” regarding the decision to evacuate, he says. “We said, ‘Do we wait it out?’ We’re in an older house, so it’s not going to be smart, especially if it does end up being a Category 4 storm — things will ramp up real fast. After the damage I saw in Fort Myers, I don’t think I’d ever stay through any hurricane.”