Madeira Beach boutique damaged by Helene reopens two years later

Hubbard’s Marina, the fourth-generation family-owned fishing-based business in Pinellas County, has reopened a boutique heavily damaged during Hurricane Helene two years ago.

The shop is at John’s Pass Village on Madeira Beach. It sits along the main thoroughfare of the attraction and has long acted as a hub for ticket sales for Hubbard’s charters and other trips, as well as carrying work by local artists, art pieces, souvenirs and other merchandise.

A Hubbard’s spokesperson says the shop had a soft launch in late July, but the official grand opening event is planned for Sept. 15.

That is nine days shy of the two-year anniversary of Helene hitting Florida’s Gulf coast.

Dylan Hubbard, the company’s owner and operator, told the Business Observer earlier this year that Helene brought roughly nine feet of water along with sand and debris to John’s Pass Village. “We were totally buried, destroyed, flooded.”

(John’s Pass Village sits on the inlet connecting Boca Ciega Bay and the Gulf.)

At the time, some were concerned John’s Pass would be shut down for an extended time but crews were able to make needed repairs and clean up the property so it could reopen about five days after the storm.

A few days later, Hurricane Milton struck. It didn’t do as much damage, in part because much was already destroyed, Hubbard says.

While the remainder of Hubbard’s operation was able to reopen relatively fast, the boutique remained closed due to structural damage and because the permitting and rehabilitation process took longer than anticipated.

Hubbard’s Marina, which traces its roots to 1928, is a 110-employee company that owns nine vessels and operates party boats and private fishing charters as well as dolphin cruises, shelling trips, sunset cruises, a pirate ship and a ghost tour. It also has a seafood market and the operates two Tampa Bay Ferry vessels for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.