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INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. — After being destroyed by hurricanes in 2024, work has been going on for more than a year to reopen the shuttered Indian Rocks Beach Library.
After a $300,000 renovation, librarians are ready to reopen and share their love of books with the community.
Set to launch with a grand re-opening on Saturday morning, librarian Lee Miller is thrilled that the day has come.
“I really didn’t know whether or not the library would be open again,” Miller said.
Miller has worked at the Pinellas County library for the last eight years and is passionate about her job. But after the storm surge from Hurricane Helene, she says the future seemed bleak.
The memories of walking back into the building for the first time after the storms are still with her No power, water lingering on the carpet and books fallen off the shelves.
Of the 22,000 books and materials in the library’s collection, only 7,000 could be salvaged after the storm.
“We had to remove everything from inside the building,” Lee said. “And that required filling dumpsters of wet books and hauling them out.”
The journey to recovery has been slow, but the renovations were made possible with the help of insurance and community donations.
Indian Rocks Beach Mayor Denise Houseberg said the library is an integral part of the community.
“It took a lot of people, a lot of manpower, and a lot of volunteers to pull this beautiful library back together,” she said. “It is something the community really adores.”
The library’s hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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Matt Lackritz
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