On a busy March afternoon in Cedar Key, visitors line up outside restaurants, and golf carts weave through downtown streets, signs of a comeback that just months ago seemed unlikely.
As the small coastal town approaches 19 months since Hurricane Helene, which hit in September 2024, the island is finding its footing again, even as parts of everyday life remain missing.
Ryan Edrington, owner of Cedar Key Golf Cart Tours, said his business is thriving.
“There’s less things for people to do," he said, "but as this March just proved, there’s still plenty of people coming out here.”
Edrington has lived in Cedar Key for more than seven years and even got married on the island.
Now, as a business owner, volunteer and member of the Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce, he says it is hard to pinpoint exactly why visitors keep coming back.
He says some may feel sympathy after the storm, but believes it is more about the town’s charm and strong sense of community.
Like many locals, Edrington witnessed the storm’s devastation firsthand.
“I know people who had homes ruined, businesses ruined,” he said. “Quite a few were heavily devastated by the storm.”
Now, nearly two years later, recovery is still underway.
Vice Mayor Jim Wortham said he is surprised by how far the town has come.
“If you had seen the island a week or two after, you would have never guessed we’d be where we are today," Wortham said.
He added while progress has been steady, the work is far from over.
“We’re still down a few restaurants and businesses, so everything concentrates on the ones that are open,” Wortham said. “It can get overwhelming.”
Despite that, the town has managed to maintain working water, sewer and roads.
Wortham said the city is working through a long list of projects funded largely through tax revenue and grants, all aimed at rebuilding infrastructure and improving the island’s resilience.
One major milestone still ahead is the reopening of the local grocery store. Since it was destroyed, the nearest option for residents has been a roughly 40-minute drive to Chiefland.
Wortham said the distance has created ongoing challenges for the community, particularly for older residents who may not drive or have difficulty traveling long distances.
While the town rebuilds piece by piece, some business owners are already seeing what recovery could look like and what still needs to return.
“We want other restaurants. I mean, we want other places for people to stay,” said Bud Adams, owner of the Island Hotel.
Adams and his wife, Laurie, moved to Cedar Key three years ago to take over the family business, which has been in his family for more than two decades. Though he visited over the years and helped in the bed-and-breakfast’s kitchen, he had never experienced a hurricane season, let alone back-to-back storms.
A year before Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Idalia hit. In between, a fire destroyed one of the town’s most popular restaurants, Steamers, along with three nearby buildings.
Adams says the Island Hotel was fortunate.
Built in 1859, the hotel sits about two feet higher than much of Second Street, a difference that mattered when storm surge pushed up to seven feet of water into nearby buildings.
“We didn’t get water in the building,” Adams said. “But just a block away, everything was ruined.”
Even so, he says recovery goes beyond one business.
He estimates the town is “about 90% there,” but says long-term success depends on rebuilding what was lost, especially places for visitors to stay.
“If people aren’t coming to the island, none of us can make money,” he said. “We all know each other, and we all help each other.”
As the island continues to rebuild, city officials say recovery is no longer just about restoring what was lost, but preparing for what could come next.
Wortham said the city is already applying lessons from Hurricane Helene to strengthen areas most at risk.
“Every storm is different, and each one teaches us something,” he said. “The storm shows us where we’re most vulnerable.”
That includes elevating buildings, improving infrastructure and continuing to rely on state and federal grants to fund long-term resiliency projects.
It also means working to bring more places for visitors to stay, as business trends upward, while balancing growth with maintaining Cedar Key’s small-town charm.
“The island just kind of got in the habit of being prepared for the storms. So everybody’s got their routine and their checklist they go through, but that really showed on the backside because it minimized the damage,” Wortham said.
The start of hurricane season is approaching on June 1, 2026, and both residents and leaders say the community’s strength lies in its ability to adapt.
From volunteers who helped clear debris to neighbors supporting one another, Wortham said the recovery has been driven as much by people as by policy.
“We’re ready to tackle whatever comes next,” he said.
