BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – In its heyday, Toucan’s on the Beach brought in people from all over the region to enjoy shrimp, tuna, oysters, hush-puppies, cocktails, and more.
“Toucan’s actually draws customers from a larger area than just Mexico Beach. I’ve heard stories of folks coming from out of state just to come down and head up to Toucan’s on the Beach,” City Administrator Christ Truitt said.
Then came October 10th, 2018. Hurricane Michael blew through Mexico Beach, wrecking the entire town. Toucan’s was completely washed away by 15 and a half feet of storm surge.
Kiwanis Club Christmas in November
“Toucan’s was one of the staples of the community before Michael came through. Getting Toucan’s back up and running is kind of returning Mexico Beach back to their sense of normalcy. And it’s kind of the exclamation point on the recovery efforts. So locals are extremely excited to get it back. And it’s going to be a great venue with loud music and plenty of TVs for watching the games and everything else,” Truitt said.
The new Toucan’s on the Beach is really taking shape on the same patch of sand as the original.
Owner Patrick Lee bought the restaurant in 2017.
He says the reopening is a symbol of the city’s recovery.
“We are super excited about bringing Toucan’s back to the community of Mexico Beach because to me and a lot of people, I think it’ll be a symbol that Mexico Beach is back and because it was a major attraction for Mexico Beach. And with it being destroyed, I think it shows that that we are starting to recover from Hurricane Michael,” Lee said.
Panama City woman pled no contest to stealing over $100k from employer
Lee is hoping to reopen the restaurant in late summer or early Fall 2025.
Lee says the new building has the same square footage as the old Toucan’s. He’s planning to hire around 150 employees.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com.
