The Florida cafe remains open during Hurricane Milton, providing comfort to residents

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FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla – “We love this community, we’ve been here a long time and it’s really nice to be able to provide a safe place where nothing else is really open in the area,” said Dakota Wehde.

While Flagler County battened down the hatches for Hurricane Milton, a local coffee shop created a storm of its own – serving hot lattes and donuts to those brave enough to brave the wind and rain.

Dakota Wehde, the owner of Swillerbees Craft Donuts and Coffee, opened at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning and said it was a no-brainer to continue business — even during the storm.

“At this point, we know what it feels like for the community to wake up in the morning and prepare for a hurricane, and in this area everything is kind of shut down – waking up in the morning, preparing the house, you don’t have time.” “And not only that “That, there are a lot of first responders in this area, so it’s always nice to give them a place to come, grab some breakfast and sit down for a few minutes,” Wehde said.

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Grateful customers, soaked but smiling, say the only thing stronger than the storm was their need for caffeine – and this cafe delivered it.

“I got a vanilla latte and a Boston crème,” said Todd Wiechmann of First Baptist Palm Coast.

Wiechmann, a pastor at First Baptist in Palm Coast, said he was grateful to have come across Swillerbees.

“It’s quite difficult because we have a weekly meeting and they were open. We are happy because we wanted to keep the community and not miss a week,” said Wiechmann.

In the face of the storm, local business owners like Dakota Wehde are showing they’re serving more than just coffee – they’re showing resilience.

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