Everglades city business owner, community finally bouncing back after Irma

An 80-year-old Everglades city business owner is bouncing back after Hurricane Irma wiped him out, and he’s not letting anything stop him.

“My kids wanted me to leave. I’ve been here for every hurricane since 1938,” said Charles “Orlo” Hilton.

Hilton owns Triad Seafood Market and Cafe. And he says despite his 80 years of surviving hurricanes, Irma was different.

“This was the main one. This is the one that put the fear of God in me,” Hilton said.

Howie Grimm is the mayor of Everglades City and is working to raise up 76 homes in the town so storm surge doesn’t do as much damage as what happened with Irma.

“That water just…it does a lot of damage,” Grimm said.

Irma caused damage seemingly everywhere, including damage to Hilton’s business, which lost all of its kitchen equipment.

Hilton says that he lost about $50,00 worth of equipment to the storm. However, it has since been replaced.

“It was terrible, but we’ve been blessed,” Hilton said.

And it’s that positive thinking and perseverance that is keeping nearly everyone in the community going.

“You’ve just got to keep getting up and getting it done,” Hilton said.

And that’s what he plans on doing, as long as another storm doesn’t come along.