Tampa's Small Business Navigator program has assisted more than 840 local businesses in just two years, including helping a Caribbean restaurant recover from devastating hurricane damage.

Kathleen Jeanty, owner of That's Wat'Sub in East Tampa, was on the verge of closing her sandwich shop after extensive hurricane damage kept the business closed for weeks. The restaurant faced more than $45,000 in damages when three back-to-back hurricanes hit the area last year.

"I am new to the Tampa area, and after moving to Pasco County, I decided to buy a sub shop in Tampa," Jeanty said. "I chose Tampa because in Florida, if there's anywhere that's never been hit by a hurricane, I said Tampa. Well, lucky for us, we were hit by not one, not two, but three back-to-back hurricanes."

When Jeanty reache

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