Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused $750,000 worth of damage to the second largest Elks Lodge in the U.S.
Tom Shoecraft, exalted ruler of Punta Gorda Elks Lodge 2606, thinks a tornado during Milton on Oct. 9 destroyed the property’s buildings that have been under siege since Hurricane Ian in 2022.
In addition to the damage estimate for the Lodge, which hosts events and fundraisers benefiting local students, Shoecraft said the cleanup is expected to cost $50,000 and the estimate needed for equipment for a new tiki hut is $200,000. The lodge’s outdoor kitchen also was destroyed.
Membership dropped from more than 5,000 to 4,708 after the hurricanes. Although the lodge is currently operating outside, there are 10 to 30 new members joining monthly, Shoecraft said.
The Elks purchased the site in 1980 from a family that used it as a hunting and fishing camp, Office Manager Linda Troemel said. It hosted social events and rented out the space for weddings, donating the proceeds to charities.
The all-volunteer organization supports high school senior scholarships and nonprofits St. Vincent De Paul, Jesus Loves You Ministry, Douglas T. Jacobson State Veterans Home, Hometown Heroes, C.A.R.E. of Charlotte County and Florida Elks Children’s Therapy Services, as well as the Harry-Anna Trust, which funds the summer camps for kids, therapy for youth, Army of Hope and more.
Children’s events, including the annual Halloween party and Breakfast with Santa, were hosted at the lodge. The Halloween party was canceled for this year after the storms, Troemel said.
The Lodge reopened after Helene, but Milton reduced the Elks’ buildings to rubble, except for a new, hardened tiki hut that’s under construction.
“We had been working out of a tiki bar since Ian and under a tent, but Milton left us with nothing,” bartender Chelsea Harris said.
Even the original tiki that stood on the property for about three decades was destroyed, Troemel said.
Prior to Ian, the site featured rental cabins that generated income for the organization. After Ian pushed the cabins off their foundations, memorabilia were stored in them. Milton delivered the final blow and destroyed the cabins and all but a few mementoes that were stored in the lodge’s office and saved.
Troemel said the focus now is on the lodge’s dedicated employees. She said Harris, a mother of three who works at two different locations, and others are now without income from the Elks.
“The Elks is not a building,” Troemel said. “It’s what’s in your heart and how you care for people.”
The organization seeks volunteers to help clean up the area, as well as donations, which can be sent to 25538 Shore Road in Punta Gorda.
On Oct. 16, Shoecraft said there were 30 people volunteering to help clean up the debris in addition to the professionals who arrived immediately after the storm with equipment. But the effort will be ongoing because of the magnitude of the damage and debris.
Shoecraft and other Elks look forward to when their new 5,000-square-foot tiki building opens.
