RUSKIN, Fla. — After back-to-back hurricanes last year, The Fish House is set to reopen this week after being closed for nearly four months.
Julie Cockerham, owner of The Fish House, said hurricane Helene forced her to temporarily close in late September.
"We lost all of our freezers, all of our refrigerators, all of our prep tables, and my fryers as well. I basically lost everything that was essential," said Cockerham.
ABC Action News visited The Fish House in Ruskin in late October. Cockerham turned her patio-style restaurant into a distribution site to help other hurricane victims.
People could stop by and get necessities like water, hygiene supplies, and non-perishable food items.
"We immediately tried to get some volunteers together because we knew that I was not the only one suffering. If this happened to me and my house as well, there was going to be a lot of other people that suffered as well," said Cockerham.
Cockerham said she credits monetary donations and the community's support for helping her rebuild.
A GoFundMe page helped raise donations online.
"It feels wonderful. I can't wait until she gets open," said Carli Walz.
"Let people know how much we appreciate them coming out and being so patient waiting for us to be open again."
The Fish House will reopen on Thursday, Jan. 30.
For more information, click here.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
