ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The building that housed the Corazon Cinema sits empty in downtown St. Augustine.
However, fencing and a construction sign just went up Monday at the building.
The French Pantry of Jacksonville and a Vietnamese Restaurant called Little Miss Ha plan to renovate the building and operate a joint venture right next to city hall on Granada Street.
It's a street that floods badly. Just ask the former owner of the same building, Karla Wagner. She told First Coast News in 2020, "Every time you turn around, we have a flood."
Wagner owned the cinema for years. Her business flooded at least four times in four years, during hurricanes, nor'easters, and rainstorms during a full moon.
During hurricane coverage of hurricane Dorian in 2019, First Coast News even checked on the cinema and saw water on the floor.
Within a week after that storm, Wagner told First Coast News, "It’s because of the streets and the drainage here."
Wagner eventually sold the building in 2021. She said it was because of the continual flooding and the pandemic. Now come the owners of The French Pantry and of Little Miss Ha. They plan to keep the building and remodel it.
But how will they keep it dry?
Johnny Hudgins, the owner of Little Miss Ha, told First Coast News they plan to elevate the floor by 3.5 above what it is now. A construction contractor said it will make the floor 8 feet above sea level.
The City of St. Augustine is also working on a plan to ease flooding in this area by Lake Maria Sanchez. It’s a project that takes a lot of money and time. The project has been in the works for at least four years.
Hudgins said the location is good, and the plans will keep the water out and people coming in.
He expects the restaurants will be open by 2024.