Florida works to bring back tourism to its Gulf Coast following hurricanes Helene and Milton

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tourism officials on Florida’s Gulf Coast say one of the ways concerned people can help the area recover is to visit as tourists, even though some beaches are still closed to the public and debris is still piled next to streets from recent hurricanes Helene and Milton. The tourism promotion agency for the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area says that 80% of hotels and businesses are open for business, even as clean-up and recovery continues. Helene made landfall as a category 4 storm in Florida’s Big Bend region last month, and Milton made landfall earlier this month as a category 3 hurricane on a barrier island in Sarasota County.