STUART, Fla. — Businesses and restaurants in downtown Stuart were boarded up on Sunday evening, but that didn’t necessarily mean everything was closed.
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“We’re open for dinner tonight. We’re going to be open all day tomorrow,” said Amie Kiester, the manager at Spritz Bistro and Cafe.
For many residents, it was a chance to get out before Hurricane Dorian starts to impact the area.
“It’s our last hurrah,” said Rick Batchelor, who was enjoying dinner with his wife.
Some restaurants, like Spritz, made last minute changes after watching Dorian’s track.
“Originally we were going to close today after 2 p.m. and be closed tomorrow,” said Ronald Legowski, manager at Spritz. “It’s been difficult.”
Legowski said they want to keep the restaurant open as long as possible.
“Most of the businesses here in Stuart are going to be closed and we want to be the one that stays open and helps the community a little because everyone gets tired of staying in,” Legowski said.
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Cabin fever is something many Floridians already anticipate once Dorian hits.
“I think we’re just going to walk along the water, kinda seeing what it looks like before we head back and kind of get sheltered in for the next few days,” said Stuart resident Ian McIntyre.
How much impact will the Treasure Coast see from Dorian? It’s the question on everyone’s mind.
For those who have been in the area for a while, Dorian brings back memories of other storms.
“We’ve been through Hurricane Andrew in 92,” said Batchelor. “We lost everything during that storm. We try to reach out to so many people and tell them: don’t take this for granted.”
As of Sunday, there were no curfews in place in Martin County and Sheriff William Snyder said he had no plans for a curfew at this point.
