TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. —  Ricky T’s Bar and Grill, considered an anchor for the Treasure Island community, was forced to shut down after Hurricane Helene’s storm surge sent nine feet of contaminated floodwater inside the building. 

Owner Brad Piche said the Gulf Boulevard restaurant remained closed for nearly five months, so that he could rebuild better and stronger with a priority on resilient and sustainable solutions.

Ricky T’s soft reopening is scheduled for February 26.

“We didn’t want to put a band-aid on hurricane repairs because we’re trying to do it the right way," said Piche. "Which means armoring against the next flood to minimize water damage and keep the water out."

Piche said the idea was to waterproof the site for any future storms. 

“If we can shut off the water valves and keep the dirty water from coming back in the building," he said. "If we have flood gates for our doors, waterproof our walls, and install concrete bars. We could wash down next time and hopefully go back to work in a much more timely manner. Anything we can do to help fight back against the inevitable.”

In addition to building concrete bars and installing flood gates, crews utilized closed cell insulating foam and fiberglass reinforced panels instead of traditional drywall.

The electrical wiring and fixtures were also elevated several feet, along with making major plumbing changes throughout the site to combat highly contaminated floodwaters.

“We’ll be cutting off the caps at the ground level, and the plumber will be sealing the caps,” Piche said of the nearly 70-year-old building. “So, the next storm that comes in, we’ll just cut the silicone off the caps, drop our test balls in and we prevent the flooding from coming back into the building.”

Piche added that no one wants to be here six, nine or 12 months down the road and see or smell any signs from last year’s storms. The owner is also promising an improved customer experience with a new stage for all their live music and entertainment.