The historic fishing village of Cortez continues despite hurricane damage

CORTEZ, Fla. – The Cortes Fishing Village has been through a lot, but Hurricanes Helene and Milton have put them to the test.

“I’ve seen other storms that have hurt us in different ways, but this one has literally hurt thousands and thousands of people,” said Kent Nixon, a stone crab fisherman who has been part of the fishing village of Cortez for decades.

Despite the damage, Nixon and his crew are already back on the water. He said they are now starting to get their first crabs of the season, and he expects them to get even better in the next two to three weeks.

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The docks were damaged during Hurricane Helene and are now being replaced. Milton also damaged the roof of the AP Bell Fish Company’s fish house. The cleanup continues throughout the fishing village as crews and boats work on the water.

“It’s so important to the community as a whole. It’s not just about the jobs, but across the board it’s about the end of life,” Nixon said.

The Star Fish Company reopened its doors on Thursday after employees went to work to reopen and didn’t let the damage stop them.

“It’s a relief. It feels so good to see all our regulars,” said waitress Nicole Westrick.

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Many who work on the boats and in the restaurant and fish house have their own losses, and some have lost everything. This makes it that much more important to support the people in and around the fishing village of Cortez.

“When I come here to buy the crabs and fresh fish that we catch and what not, I can’t say enough about how many people this affects, not just directly, but indirectly,” Nixon said.

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