Page 48 - Panama City Living May/June 2019

“ I get 10 or 15 messages from supportive people every day... 80 percent of our guests are repeat customers. They’ve become like family to us...
the motel reopens, which is estimated to be in the summer of 2020, with the RV park opening a little before then. “Our Facebook page has blown up with our guests wanting to know when they’ll be able to come back and how things are going in the Mexico Beach community. We are so blessed to have such wonderful long-term guests.” With a cheerful laugh, Kathy Sloan says, “They want to make reservations—they’re ready before we’re ready.”
Another landmark, the Driftwood Inn, had to be torn down on March 11, 2019, as a result of the severe storm damage. It has been rebuilt before, after catching fire in 1994, according to Shawna Wood, who has helped to run the hotel for years. She promises the Driftwood Inn will make another triumphant return.
Her parents, Tom and Peggy Wood, bought the Driftwood Inn in 1975 and raised Shawna and her siblings, Bart and Brandy, in the peaceful town. In 1999, Shawna moved back to Mexico Beach to help manage the hotel’s affairs. She conveys that her personal home sustained damages from Hurricane Michael, but she was able to move back in and resume handling concerns for the hotel. “I turned my downstairs garage into a little mother-in-law suite for my mother because she actually lived at the hotel,” she says.
“We want the Driftwood Inn to come back just like it was,” she confirms. “With the new building codes in place, it may affect how we look, and we may have to go up, but we’ll strive to keep things the way they
were. We want to make sure we get the important structures back—the gazebos, the chapel, the fountain, the garden area. I want it to feel like once we come back, we’re coming back for good.”
Shawna calls the support she’s received after Hurricane Michael amazing. “Everybody’s been so positive. I get 10 or 15 messages from supportive people every day, through email and our Facebook page. 80 percent of our guests are repeat customers. They’ve become like family to us; some have even come to visit me at home. A lot of them have had us hold their deposits for the rooms they booked, so they’ll be ready when we rebuild.”
With a tangible appreciativeness in her voice, she adds, “The connection that you make here in Mexico Beach is so important. The whole town ... Everybody has really pulled together.”
While City Hall survived Hurricane Michael, Mexico Beach’s Welcome Center lost its original building and is now located in a temporary mobile office trailer where the old building once stood. Every day, visitors stop in to check on Mexico Beach and get updates.
Kimberly Shoaf, president of the Mexico Beach Community Development Council, tackles her duties as president with a positivity that shines. Her home in Port St. Joe was destroyed by the storm, forcing her and her family to relocate north to the town of Wewahitchka, yet she stays bright and dedicated. “Right
48 • May–June 2019 • www.PanamaCityLiving.com
Shawna Wood looks onto the concrete slab of what once was the Driftwood Inn