Shore Acres hosts annual Holiday Golf Cart Parade after tough hurricane season

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Neighboring communities joined Shore Acres on Sunday night for the 8th Annual Holiday Golf Cart Parade.

Many neighbors in the St. Pete community lost their carts in Hurricane Helene. Shore Acres Civic Association President Kevin Batdorf expected a much smaller turnout compared to recent years.

"If we get 100 carts, I'll be excited. If we get 50, I'm excited. If we only had ten, it would be awesome," he said.

To their surprise, once the sun set on Montana Avenue, the carts just kept coming.

"Fossil Park is here, Meadow Lawn is here. We're hoping Riviera Bay comes," he said. "We've supported other communities because we have the knowledge to get through a storm. They're here to support us in our rebuilding efforts."

This year was more than a golf cart parade. It was also a celebration of resilience.

"It started off a little rocky," parade organizer Wes Snapp said. "We obviously all flooded. We tried to figure out which way is up. We're all surrounded by a bunch of piles of literally people's belongings and whatnot."

Batdorf said the community has come a long way.

"Our neighborhood is coming back. The piles of debris have been picked up for the most part and things are starting to look a little better," he said.

READ: Fort De Soto Park reopens after catastrophic damage from Hurricanes Helene, Milton

For Snapp, the holidays are a reminder of strength in numbers.

"Christmas means to me everything that is right in the world," he said. "Giving back, lots of love, having fun. It's awesome."

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