Fishin Franks will not reopen just after decline of small business to fiery crash previous year

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PORT CHARLOTTE

It’s time for Frank Hommema to set down the entice and pass on the fishing rod.

The business enterprise proprietor, recognised as “Fishin Frank” in Port Charlotte, has been through a lot in his 35 years of selling bait and deal with from his fishing retail outlet on US-41.

Hurricane Charley demolished his storefront in 2004. And an IRS audit brought on him to lose anything. But, a fiery crash that induced the retail store to burst into flames very last May was a little bit much too much to arrive again from.

“It’s not nowhere in the vicinity of the 1st time that I would’ve experienced to begin about from scratch but my age is a variance,” Hommema claimed. “When the pickup truck lawn-darted through the roof, that might’ve been a sign I should stop.”

And so he did, but not just before shedding tears around the decline of an important neighborhood organization.

“I lose more tears that two weeks of the fireplace than I did because I was 6 several years aged,” Hommema claimed.

Buddies and consumers assisted to increase about $50,000 for the retail store right after the crash in hopes that he would rebuild. But, Hommema explained he is handing the revenue to his extensive-phrase employee, Robert Lugiewicz, who options to open up a new bait and tackle store identified as “Blind Tarpon Tackle.”

Lugiewicz is lawfully blind, he reported. He is on the lookout for a creating with ample parking for his future keep.

In the meantime, Hommema ideas to choose some time off to vacation in his RV. The crash crushed Lugiewicz for the reason that he used more than 50 % his everyday living working on his company.

Hommema explained he hopes people will embrace Lugiewicz.

“People are astounding,” he mentioned. “The people are amazing and that’s what kept me in it, and Robert has that very same passion for persons.”