LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — Inside Viva La Playa in Lake Worth Beach, Jeremy Hanlan said business is good.
“Here we are, we made it through the pandemic,” he said. “Still making our way. But very happy with where we are.”
They opened in August, in the middle of a global pandemic.
“We saw the opportunity with Lake Worth Beach, and we wanted to take full advantage of it,” he said.
They are not alone. Businesses across South Florida are expecting an extended season.
“And 2021 is already proving to be a great year,” Hanlan said.
The co-interim CEO and COO of Loggerhead Marine Life Center said they too found a way to pivot in the pandemic, using the time they were shut down to go under construction.
“A year later we are close to wrapping up our expansion of the building,” Tim Hannon said. “We are going to have an awesome view of the ocean, a rooftop deck, a small theater with over 100 seats, multi-purpose classroom space, some additional office space, a new cafe.”
Loggerhead was honored Friday by Discover the Palm Beaches. They received the Partner of the Year and 29th Providencia Award. Jorge Pesquera the President of Discover the Palm Beaches says tourism numbers are up.
“Much, much better, we finished March at almost 75% occupancy,” he said. Just slightly below 2019 levels.”
Now, their focus is shifting to vaccinations. Pesquera said they are helping the county with a new campaign titled “Don’t Miss your Shot” in hopes of encouraging more young people to get vaccinated.
“It’s just another way to really bring normalcy back where is should be,” Pesquera said.