CAPTIVA, Fla. — Reconstruction is officially underway at the Mucky Duck, a historic beachfront restaurant on Captiva Island that sustained major damage during hurricanes Helene and Milton last year.
Watch as Captiva Community Correspondent Anvar Ruziev, takes you the the restaurant's site:
Visitors arriving at the property this week found the building still under repair. Joy Fiori, a returning guest, said her family had hoped to revisit the restaurant.
“ We were about to relive our last adventure here, which was to come and have an early dinner and watch the sunset,” Fiori said.
The twin storms left the dining area filled with sand, damaged the roof and flooring, and rendered the structure inoperable for months.
Thanks to its historic designation, the Mucky Duck is being rebuilt “as-is,” without the need to meet newer, stricter code requirements. While some had advocated for relocating or elevating the structure to mitigate future storm risk, the owners have opted to restore the original layout and beachfront location.
“I'm so thrilled to hear that it'll be rebuilt and will retain all its historic aspects,” Fiori said.
With permits secured, crews have begun laying a new foundation. Restaurant management confirmed that even members of the kitchen staff are assisting in the early construction stages.
Local businesses also say they expect the Mucky Duck’s reopening to support nearby commerce by attracting additional foot traffic.
“We're excited to be here and we'll just have to go look for some other place to have dinner tonight,” Fiori said.
A statement from the Mucky Duck says they are targeting a reopening date in the fall, aligning with the start of peak tourist season on Captiva Island.
