Owners shutter Longboat Key hotel due to heavy Helene damage

The Sandpiper Inn, a Longboat Key hotel built in the 1960s, has permanently closed due to damage from Hurricane Helene.

According to Facebook posts and a note on the property's website, the 11-room hotel is shut down effective immediately and those who’ve made deposits will get a refund.

The hotel’s owners say in the note that Helene caused extensive water damage to all rooms and the exterior of the hotel. The note goes on to say that it is not feasible to repair the property, especially as storms of Helene’s magnitude are happening more often.