BRADENTON, Fla. — A century-old Bay Area nursery that was nearly destroyed by back-to-back hurricanes last year is celebrating its recovery with the return of its beloved Poinsettia Festival this Saturday.
Orban's Nursery in Bradenton was devastated when Hurricane Helene's storm surge flooded the entire property in September 2024, followed by Hurricane Milton's damaging winds just weeks later.
The family-owned business located at 9601 9th Avenue NW Bradenton, FL 34209, lost hundreds of thousands of plants and suffered millions in damage.
"We had to pick up 200,000 poinsettias and 100,000 annuals," said Tyler Orban, the nursery's owner.
The destruction was so severe that Orban wondered if the family-owned nursery founded in 1914 would survive on his watch.
"Yeah, for sure, that was a concern going through my head," Orban said.
But the community rallied around the nursery during its darkest hour.
Hundreds of volunteers helped clean up the debris after Helene, finishing just before the next storm.
"We had over 200 volunteers come help us clean up after Helene. We got that, thankfully. Got that done right before Milton got here. We probably wouldn't have been able to do it," Orban said.
Now, more than a year later, the nursery is once again filled with the vibrant colors of the season. Deep reds, stunning whites, and other varieties of poinsettias fill the space where flood waters once stood.
The annual Poinsettia Festival, which hadn't been held for two years, returns this Saturday, Nov. 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will feature poinsettias in all colors for sale, craft vendors, food trucks, and picture-perfect spots for holiday cards.
"This is our biggest time of the year," Orban said.
Despite the challenges, Orban remains optimistic about the nursery's future.
"I think if we made it through that, we should be okay for a while, at least. Hopefully, I'll cross my fingers, and we don't have any more storms anytime soon, as I was very thankful for a year without them this year," Orban said.
The festival represents more than just a business reopening – it's a symbol of hope, goodwill, and community resilience in the face of natural disasters.
This story was reported on-air by Michael Paluska and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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