Weeks after flash floods left parts of Boca Raton under water, some small businesses are still struggling to recover, including Boca Skin Spa, where the owner says the October storm caused extensive damage and forced her to shut down for renovations.
Carla Columbia, owner of Boca Skin Spa, remembers the moment she realized her business had been hit.
“The water came in and rushed into the building,” she said.
Inside the spa, she says nearly every room was damaged.
“That whole wall had to be taken out completely. Every place in this entire spa got hit."
Columbia says she closed up the night of October 26, 2025, with no reason to believe the storm would become destructive.
“I went home I didn’t have anything to worry about. The storm was really-really bad. We started getting alerts around 11:30 pm saying flash floods- flash floods, don’t leave your house."
What she returned to the next day, she says, was far worse than she imagined. Water had pushed into multiple rooms, destroying equipment and leaving the spa unusable.
“We just thought it's water we have to clean it up and disinfect it and move on. Then we realized this was really devastating”
The spa has now been closed since the flood as renovations continue. Columbia says her insurance doesn’t cover most of the damage, leading her to create a GoFundMe to help replace equipment and cover mounting costs.
Representatives for the Glades First Center — where Boca Skin Spa is located — say the flood brought 12 to 18 inches of water into parts of the property, affecting several tenants. They say construction crews have been working consistently to replace sheetrock and prevent mold and mildew from spreading inside the damaged units.
In a statement to WPTV, the company said Servpro of Fort Lauderdale was hired since October 27, a day after the flood.
Company representatives say Servpro has brought 35-50 people per day to these centers and are working between 7AM and 9PM, 7 days a week. In order to minimize any health hazards such as mold and mildew, FEMA requires a minimum of 2 feet of sheet rock to be replaced and all floors to be replaced."
In response to the October flooding, Boca City officials said the city drainage systems were overwhelmed by the amount of rain the city received, with Boca Raton seeing over nine inches of rain without two hours.
Zachary Bihr, the Public Works and Engineering director of Boca Raton said they were assessing the city’s critical infrastructure.
As of this report, Columbia’s GoFundMe campaign has raised $2,050 of her $10,000 goal.
While construction continues, Columbia says the uncertainty remains overwhelming.
“I don’t know, I really don’t know.”
