Historic artist cottages spared by Hurricane Milton in Bonita

Raul Rubio breathed a sigh of relief Thursday morning, as he returned to his artist cottage in Bonita Springs, not far from the Imperial River.

By 10 a.m., he could be seen coating a frame in white paint for one of his contemporary creations.

"Nothing happened here," the painter, from Cuba, said with a smile, happy to see no flooding, or damage to his business from Hurricane Milton. "Thanks God.

Milton did cause one temporary headache.

"It's just we don't have power. But that is normal," Rubio said, as he worked away, with his door open, for light.

He prepared for the worst, with the help of the city, who he rents his cottage from, which provided boards for windows and sandbags for doors to the collection of quaint pastel cottages, next to the Liles Hotel at Riverside Park.

A little over two years ago, Hurricane Ian pushed more than a foot of water into the cottages, requiring the city to make repairs. In preparation, Rubio raised all of his paintings, frames and supplies about 3 feet above the floor.

His neighbor Kelly Campbell, owner of Gulf Coast Pottery, arrived a little later than Rubio, sharing his angst, then relief to find her cottage dry. She opened her business in March, but she's been through a lot since then, including Hurricane Helene, not that long ago.

Overnight, she said, she watched the webcam at the nearby Bonita Wonder Gardens closely, keeping an eye on the Imperial River. She saw it rise, then retreat.

"I didn't get water, so that's good. Thank God. I was so worried," she said, after opening her door, and taking a quick look around.

She arrived at her studio with a foster dog, Tigger, who she said she'd already fallen in love with, but would eventually have to give back.

"He's with us until further notice," she said.

The historic fishing cottages, built in 1945, were originally located on the edge of the Imperial River. The city acquired them in 2001, and then renovated them to lease out.

The cottages appeared in a Sean Connery movie “Just Cause.”

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Historic artist cottages spared by Hurricane Milton in Bonita