Sitting at the island's most southern point, the South Beach Restaurant has been a staple on Boca Grande since the 1950s.
"It's not just an iconic location," said South Beach restaurant co-owner Marco Meola. "It means something special. There's people telling us this is where they had their first kiss, their first anniversary, when some people have cast their children's ashes."
The South Beach Restaurant burned down to the ground 2 years ago during Hurricane Ian. Owners finally reopened Labor Day 2024. Weeks later, Hurricane Helene caused them to shut their doors again. The storm ate up the beach and uncovered a road built in the 1980s.
Hurricane Milton turned that road to rubble.
Head Chef Mimi Carvalho tells us how she felt the first time she saw the damage, "I said 'not again, not again.' We're missing season again and it was heartbreaking to see a beautiful new building fall apart already like that."
The building sustained some structural issues, but luckily little water came inside. The owners expect to be back up and running in the next couple of weeks.
Over in Boca Grande's historic downtown, Hurricane Milton brought 4 feet of sand and 2 feet of storm surge. That forced businesses like Scarpa's to leave their inventory on the side of the road.
LCSO Sheriff Carmine Marceno says crews on Boca Grande have worked fast, but they still have a long way to go.
“Some of the bigger obstacles, You know, obviously roadways are important. Some of the damage, you see, the roads have been lifted, the six 8-foot-holes that are exposing the underground utilities.” said the Sheriff.
If we've learned anything from the people of Boca Grande, it's resilience.
"Don't give up. Don't give up. You can rebuild it stronger or rebuild the same. But don't give up. What do we say, when life give you lemons? Make some lemonade." said Mimi Carvalho.