Thrive
St. Petersburg celebrates citizen ‘Hurricane Heroes’

Four St. Petersburg residents received well-earned recognition Friday for helping lead despondent neighbors on the path to recovery amid an unprecedented hurricane season, despite also suffering storm damage.
Congresswoman Kathy Castor, State Rep. Lindsay Cross and City Councilmember Mike Harting led an emotional event highlighting Courtney Stein, Brad Stein, Matt Thorn and Kevin Batdorf’s efforts to uplift their communities. Castor issued a call for Hurricane Heroes nominations in late November.
The awardees reside in St. Petersburg’s Riviera Bay and Shore Acres neighborhoods, two of the most severely impacted during Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. Harting, CEO of 3 Daughters Brewing and a Shore Acres resident, hosted the ceremony at his facility.
Castor noted the brewery served as a storm donation drop-off location and credited Harting for helping those who lost their livelihoods. She also called Cross “simply outstanding” at connecting constituents with state and local resources.
“In the aftermath of all that destruction, there were some remarkable leaders – not through government,” Castor said. “They are neighborhood leaders you’ve counted on for many years.”
Here are the awardees:
Matt Thorn is a Shore Acres resident who transformed his front yard into a “Relief Market & Grille.” He and his husband provided hot meals daily, and Cross noted the neighborhood oasis remains in operation nearly four months after the Helene.
Harting said there is “not a business model” for Thorn’s operation. It featured about 10 tents, some with couches and chairs, a kids area and a makeshift market with food and cleaning supplies.
Local restaurants and Chik-fil-A joined his efforts, and Harting noted Thorn acted without prior expertise or organizational support. “He is just a tour de force, and he decided he was going to do something … that turned out to be much bigger than anyone else could imagine,” Harting added.
Thorn said he and his husband simply sought to help fulfill a need for those “utterly devastated” by the storms. He called it a privilege to serve the community through a long and tenuous recovery process.
“Sharing that bond of what we share together as humans, rather than what divides us as humans, I think, is what comes out of disasters,” Thorn said.

Mayor Ken Welch with Matt Thorn at the Relief Market & Grille. Photo: City of St. Petersburg.
Courtney Stein is vice president of the Riviera Bay Neighborhood Civic Association. Cross called her a “dynamo,” whose driveway became known as Steinmart due to its clothing, supplies and food collection.
Stein and her husband, Brad, also organized efforts to help neighbors remove flooded drywall and muck-out homes. Castor said many elderly residents were “paralyzed” with shock and didn’t know where to begin.
One nominating neighbor noted the couple offered them a place to stay when they were homeless. The Steins and neighborhood supporters began going door-to-door offering assistance and subsequently realized some seniors were living in squalor.
Courtney Stein said they distributed over $40,000 in supplies and helped repair more than 66 homes with local volunteers and a group from Oklahoma. “The most beautiful thing we saw firsthand was the community coming together.”
“It was strangers that I haven’t spoken two words to, and they came in, and now we’re basically family,” Stein continued. “In the most challenging times, when everything feels uncertain, the heart of the Sunshine City really shines through.”

Congresswoman Kathy Castor (right) and Rep. Lindsay Cross (left) present Courtney and Brad Stein with their official commendations.
Kevin Batdorf is president of the Shore Acres Neighborhood Association and a long-time proponent of environmental resiliency projects in St. Petersburg’s lowest-lying community. Castor said he brings a combination of devotion, knowledge and skill “to bear for his neighbors.”
Cross called Batdorf “tenacious” and said he gets governmental results for Shore Acres residents. Harting said Batdorf and Thorn also created a network of volunteers to assist elderly neighbors and host events in the local park “just to get everyone out and enjoy some time with each other.”
“Kevin (Batdorf), especially, has advocated at the city, county and state level, on his own, for help for the community,” Harting said. “He is a testament to what volunteerism can look like.”

The event was held at 3 Daughters Brewing, one of many local businesses that contributed to storm recovery efforts.

Nancy Frainetti
January 14, 2025at9:16 am
Congratulations and additional gratitude from afar to the well-deserving awardees and for those who honored them. I believe the awardees’ caring outreach not only made a positive impact for their neighbors but has also rekindled hope and kindness throughout all of our city’s neighborhoods. May we lead by example.
Erica Hall
January 11, 2025at2:27 pm
This story or this group did not reach out to Black community leaders in South St. Pete who have been doing this work including the Storm Squad and USF. This is not an accurate depiction of all the neighborhoods that continue to be affected by these storms