- May Nursery, a family-owned business in Havana, faces millions in damages after a rare snowstorm flattened its plant shades and destroyed inventory.
- Despite the significant loss, the nursery is determined to rebuild, with plans to take immediate action to repair structures and recover plants over the next six months.
- Watch the video to see how they are rebuilding.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
May Nursery is now grappling with the aftermath of last week’s rare winter storm, which caused millions of dollars in damage to its infrastructure and inventory. May Nursery, a family-owned business once thriving with vibrant plants and flowers, is left to pick up the pieces after a storm that wreaked havoc on North Florida.
Richard May, President of May Nursery, reflected on the severity of the damage.
"We’ve been through two handfuls of hurricanes, the worst being Hurricane Michael. That took two shades down; this took every shade down," he said.
The storm, which brought icy winds and several inches of snow, caused significant destruction. Plant shades that once provided shelter for the nursery’s inventory were completely flattened under the weight of the snow and ice.
The damage extends far beyond the structures. Ashley May, the nursery’s production manager, revealed that the nursery had about $4 million dollars worth of inventory under those now-damaged shades.
"A snowstorm was not really in our wheelhouse," he said, acknowledging how unexpected the storm was for the region.
While the snow has since melted, the damage to the plants remains evident. Many are too far gone to recover, and others are struggling to bounce back.
Ashley May provided an estimate for what it would take to rebuild.
"To completely rebuild all these shades, you’re probably looking at a couple million dollars," he said. The financial toll on the business is immense, but the May family is determined to get back on their feet.
Despite the severe losses, the team at May Nursery is already taking steps to rebuild. The first priority is to clear the damaged structures enough to repair the irrigation systems, ensuring the plants still have access to water.
“Step one will be to clear the shade back enough to repair the irrigation pipes so we can start to water our plants," Richard May explained. "The second thing is we will have to disassemble the shades. This is probably something that will be done in-house by our employees. It will probably take a few weeks to roll up all the shade clothes and start to pick up and reset posts."
The process is already underway, with workers pitching in to clear debris and salvage what they can. But rebuilding will take time, and the road to recovery will not be quick or easy.
"We’ll get through this one way or another, we’re not going to quit, we’re not going to shut down" says Ashley May.
For now, the nursery estimates it will take about six months to repair and rebuild the damage done by the storm. May Nursery is committed to getting back to business, but the true cost of the storm will take some time to fully assess. In the meantime, the May family remains focused on recovery and rebuilding their business, which has served customers across the country for years.
