Len Breidert of St. Petersburg shares some of his favorite memories vacationing at Venture Out on Cudjoe Key.

  • Home was among those destroyed by Irma
  • Len Breidert proposed to his fiance there
  • Watch: "Hurricane Irma: Your Stories" re-airs Saturday at 7 p.m.

"Just go down there to relax, and it's like you're in another world and just so peaceful and serene, the fishing and the people," Breidert said.

One recent moment holds a special place in Len's heart.

"I had proposed to my fiancé, Dolores and that was a special occasion obviously, but it was just the right setting for it," he said.

The proposal was in 2016. This year, the couple stayed a few doors down and had to evacuate four days into their vacation as Irma approached.

Len would see a very different version of his favorite getaway after the storm on our Spectrum News Special, "Hurricane Irma: Your Stories." (The special re-airs Saturday at 7 p.m. on Spectrum Bay News 9.)

"I was telling Dolores, 'You know, look at this. That's the house that we stayed at last year," said Breidert. "I told her, 'This is the house I proposed to you, I can tell by the blue tile countertops.'"


Len Breidert proposes in this 2016 photo.

It's a special place that is now in ruins.

"It was very humbling, I was a little sad to see the destruction from where we just had a special occasion," said Breidert.

He said they will go back.

"I know that the heart and the soul and the strength and the resilience of those people down there, they will rebuild," he said. "And they're going to come back stronger than it was before. It's gonna be just as beautiful as it was before, but it's just going to take a little bit of time."