STEVE REID
Editor & Publisher
sreid@lbknews.com
In the delicate ecosystem of Longboat Key’s post-hurricane recovery, a telling economic indicator might just be a cup of coffee.
For nearly a year, the storefront at 3174 Gulf of Mexico Drive sat as a monument to corporate hesitation. A Starbucks banner promising “Coming Soon” hung in the window, fading under the Florida sun, while the space behind it remained dormant.
Meanwhile, just next door at 3172, the remnants of the Turtle Coffee Bar told a darker story—a local favorite shuttered after Hurricane Helene sent waist-high floodwaters surging through its doors in late 2024.
But as the island turns the page to 2026, a new narrative is being written on this stretch of the Gulf Coast. It is a story of retreat and resurgence, where a global coffee behemoth bowed out, and a local family stepped up to prove that Longboat Key is open for business.
The Corporate Retreat
The saga of the “Phantom Starbucks” came to an unceremonious end this January. Originally announced in February 2025, the project was slated to bring the Seattle-based chain to the center of the Key, a move that promised to fill the caffeine void for south-end residents.
However, the project quickly became mired in the unique regulatory sandtraps of Longboat Key. Faced with complex zoning hurdles—specifically the need for a special exception permit to operate a restaurant in the C-1 commercial zone—and an incomplete application process that dragged on for months, the “Coming Soon” promise rang increasingly hollow.
By early 2026, the writing was on the wall. Franchisee Greg Sausaman confirmed that the project was no longer moving forward, marking a quiet end to what many had hoped would be a signal of commercial stability. The 1,800-square-foot space remains empty, a casualty of red tape and perhaps a corporate calculation that the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze.
A Homegrown Resurrection
While Starbucks stalled, Chris and Justina Carter were busy brewing a different plan.
The owners of Sips, the beloved coffee spot that has anchored Whitney Beach Plaza on the north end since 2023, looked at the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and saw opportunity where others saw risk.
In a move that mirrors the broader resilience of the island, the Carters announced they are expanding. Sips will open a second location in the very space that Hurricane Helene claimed—the former Turtle Coffee Bar at 3172 Gulf of Mexico Drive, directly adjacent to the abandoned Starbucks site.
“We didn’t think we would grow to where we are today,” Chris Carter noted regarding the expansion. But the community’s support—evident in the lines of locals and remote workers who pack their north-end shop daily—gave them the confidence to bridge the gap to the south.
The “Resurrection” of 3172
The renovation of the new Sips location is more than a business expansion; it is an act of restoration. Workers have been busy gutting and reimagining the 859-square-foot space, scrubbing away the memory of the storm surge and preparing to bring life back to a darkened storefront.
Unlike the expansive corporate footprint planned next door, the new Sips will be intimate and focused. With a smaller footprint than their original location, the central Key shop will prioritize high-quality coffee, smoothies, juices, and acai bowls—a streamlined “grab-and-go” model designed for beachgoers using the public access across the street and residents craving a local touch.
A Symbol of Recovery
The contrast between the two storefronts—3172 and 3174—offers a microcosm of Longboat Key’s post-storm identity.
On one side lies the empty shell of a national chain that found the barrier to entry too high. On the other stands a family-owned business, rooted in the community (Justina’s parents run Performance Pilates in the same plaza as the original Sips), willing to scrub the floors, navigate the permits, and bet on the island’s future.
As construction crews put the finishing touches on the new Sips, they are doing more than building a coffee shop. They are sending a signal that while hurricanes may wash away drywall and inventory, they cannot wash away the entrepreneurial spirit that defines this community.
The Starbucks sign may be gone, but Longboat Key is waking up—and thanks to the Carters, the coffee is already brewing.
