Resilient owners of Longboat legend celebrate post-storms reopen

In the midst of the anniversaries of hurricanes Helene and Milton, another Longboat Key business has joined the ranks of those that have officially reopened.

Sandpiper Inn owners Christine and Harold Cullison announced its reopening on Aug. 16. The hotel, built in the 1960s, has hosted visitors from all over the world in its decades of operation.

"We were going to try to sell it, initially, after Helene," he said. "There was just so much damage. Structurally, there was basically nothing damaged. But we got some water in every room. Sheetrock was blown up. Almost all the furniture went."

Christine said the sand-covered Gulf of Mexico Drive looked almost the same as the streets did during the Northeastern blizzard of 1978.

"We really lucked out with Irma," Christine said. "We were lucky with Ian. We were lucky with Idalia. We just weren't lucky in this one."

The days after the hurricanes were challenging, and the Cullisons didn't know for certain they would be able to reopen. However, they didn't want to let an institution with such longstanding history on the island go, and they invested in rebuilding.

Some elements, like their old Norfolk pine tree, are gone. But the owners are proud of the work they've done to bring back the spirit of the inn.

Christine said they have been taking reservations for guests excited to see the inn reopen. In fact, on the inn's website, the weekends are booked until late October with many bookings during the week as well.

There is still some final work to do when it comes to landscaping and other touches, which the Cullisons said they hope to complete after the Atlantic hurricane season passes in November.

"We took a risk and used what we had to build back," Harold said. "Even though there are no guarantees, a lot of what we've rebuilt is better set up for if we get another storm."

For more information about the facilities, visit SandpiperInn.com.