In this aerial photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, guests at Cheeca Lodge Resort & Spa walk on a new 525-foot-long pier at the iconic Florida Keys resort Friday, March 30, 2018, in Islamorada, Fla. After sustaining major damage from Hurricane Irma, the oceanside resort reopened Friday for the first time since visitors were evacuated a few days before the storm's Sept. 10, 2017, passage through the Keys. Keys tourism officials say that 80 percent of accommodations throughout the island chain have returned to business. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
Republished March 30, 2018 - 11:36 AM
Original Publication Date March 29, 2018 - 11:51 PM
ISLAMORADA, Fla. - Another major Florida Keys resort has reopened after being heavily damaged by last September's Hurricane Irma.
Islamorada's iconic Cheeca Lodge Resort & Spa resumed operations Friday, more than six months after Irma's storm surge devastated the resort's lobby and landscaping and destroyed a 525-foot-long (160-meter-long) oceanside dock. Many of the 27-acre (11-hectare) hotel's 214 guestrooms suffered water intrusion.
Resort officials say they've done about $25 million of work, including some renovation projects beyond storm repairs.
With Cheeca's reopening, tourism officials say 80 per cent of the Florida Keys' lodging properties can host visitors. In Key West, more than 92 per cent of accommodations are open.
Cheeca officials say they didn't lay off pre-storm employees during the closure and that they assisted with the property's recovery.
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Online: Cheeca Lodge, https://www.cheeca.com/
News from © The Associated Press, 2018