Community rallies behind Destin business destroyed in fire

DESTIN, Fla. ( WMBB ) — With the busiest part of the tourism season just a few weeks away, dozens of local service workers are out of work.

Tailfins Waterfront Grill in the Destin harbor was devastated by a fire on April 27.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is still investigating what sparked the blaze that could be seen for miles.

Destin fire rescue officials say the third floor looks to be a total loss.

Fortunately, breakfast customers and employees got out safely, but the staff is now out of work.

Dozens of businesses and locals are pitching in to help the staff.

In just 2-days, people have donated more than $3,000 to a GoFundMe account to help employees pay bills.

“A server or somebody playing music out on the harbor, you know, they might not have resources today. To back up into and say, well, how do I pay my bills? I was supposed to work this weekend and make, you know, ‘X’ amount of hundreds of dollars,” Joe Godar said, organized an employee fundraiser. “So we’re just trying to bridge a little gap and get them some funds to get them by to either their next job or the place reopens.”

City leaders are planning a fundraiser in the near future with Tailfin’s harbor neighbor AJ’s.

Pure Barre Destin is hosting a donations-only classic class on Saturday, May 4. The proceeds will go back to the business owners.

“We’re going to have refreshments if you want to just stop by to donate. We’re actually going to be accepting Venmo, and we will, the studio is going to be matching whatever we donate.” Pure Barre Destin owner Ashley Bass said.

On top of the local fundraisers, many restaurants in the area like LuLu’s and The Back Porch are offering jobs to the staff to keep them working while the repairs are being done.

Many around the area can feel the community coming together to help a locally-owned business.

“We just support all the local businesses in our community. I mean, we would not be Destin without all of the amazing local businesses that we have. And she’s just precious. We love her. We want to help and support any way we can get them back on their feet,” Bass said about Tailfin’s Co-Owner Marybeth.

“I want them to know that, you know, somebody cares,” Godar said. “I know, like we talked about, there’s a lot of fundraisers coming out for them, but we don’t want the employees to think that they’re forgotten.”

General contractors and inspectors were on the scene Wednesday to start the rebuilding process.

The owners hope to have the first and possibly the second floor back open for the Memorial Day weekend.

Lulu’s seafood restaurant in Destin is hosting a hiring event for Tailfin’s staff on Thursday and Friday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com.