Tourists Head Back to Pinellas Beaches as Hurricane Cleanup Continues

Spring break tourists are pouring into Pinellas County beaches, booking rooms in available hotels while the area slowly gets back to normal after last year's devastating storms. The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce says things are looking up. Their open hotels are seeing numbers they haven't seen since before the hurricanes hit, and that group bookings have blown past what they expected. Visit St. Pete Clearwater reports most beach spots are now safe for swimming. However, beach-goers should note that Egmont Key and Honeymoon Island state parks remain shut down as repairs and paperwork drag on. This wave of visitors is bringing in crucial money during March, usually the busiest month for beach tourism. Even with some services still not up to speed, tourists keep showing up. Local transport company Way2Go Rides took a big hit after the storms, with owner Jasper Klein seeing business drop by 35%. Now, Klein is happy to see tourists filling up local attractions again. “You can see palm trees missing their heads, you can see construction, but I'm pretty impressed at how fast they got things turned around and back up,” Tom McMillan, visiting from Chicago, said to wtsp.com. The hurricanes did a number on Gulf Coast infrastructure. Repair crews are still all over town, fixing what the storms broke. Hotels are packed even though they're not fully operational. Workers keep fixing damaged areas, trying to get everything back to normal. The return of beach lovers has brightened the mood in recovering areas. But work isn't done, construction equipment still fills public areas, and some spots still show damage from the storms.