TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. (WFLA) — Business owners dealing with hurricane damage are building back with future storms in mind.

At Rick T's in Treasure Island, the staff is celebrating the end of renovations. Owner Brad Piche said they took every step possible to hurricane-proof the restaurant, which has been an area staple for decades.

According to Piche, all the drywall in the restaurant has been replaced with waterproof material. He said they also swapped the wooden deck and bar for concrete.

The owner believes the $1 million in improvements will speed up recovery efforts if the area sees flooding in the future.

"By getting rid of all the wood and porous material, we can clean up after the next storm much better. Even if we have to throw away the equipment, which we likely would have to,

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