FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. -- Hurricane Hermine shook Southwest Florida, but didn't leave much damage behind. Still, it did have an impact on businesses on Fort Myers Beach.
Fort Myers Beach was a hot spot for Labor Day weekend. Even a brush with Hermine didn't stop some visitors from flying down.
"The weather was beautiful and we didn't see much about the storm," said Stefanie Bloomhart, visiting from Germany.
"I wasn't really too concerned. I came anyhow and I probably would've came even if the storm was here," said Jeffrey York from New York.
While many were cheering about not having to work on Monday, those who are working this holiday were hoping to have more to cheer about. "The weekend was okay, it started off slow and yeah the weather did do a little to it," said Todd Koszesza, owner of a jet ski rental business.
He says the wet weather caused by Hurricane Hermine put a damper on sales. "A lot of them cancelled ahead of time before the weekend came."
He's not walking away with as much as he was hoping for, but he says the weekend wasn't a complete bust. "We would've been sold out, but instead we were almost sold out, so it was decent," said Koszesza.
The beach was too calm for Todd's business, but restaurants like the Salty Crab had a bit more luck. However Dave, a server at the restaurant, noticed business was slower. "We've been very busy. Still, it's a little bit less than the amount of people than you normally see."
Now that Hermine is long gone, Dave is looking forward to a brighter day when it comes to tips. "Other than that, people seem to be having a good time and they're not really caring. As long as they got sun and some water to jump in and some food and I give them some great drinks."
Business owners tell Fox 4 they're hoping Monday will help them recoup some of the losses they experienced from Hermine.
