Sea Tow Key Largo owners Cheryl and Steve Powers, who celebrate their 25th anniversary less than a week after Valentine’s Day, have had their marriage put to the test in light of Hurricane Irma.
The two were homeless after Irma struck the Florida Keys Sept. 10 as a Category 4 storm and left three feet of muddy saltwater on the first floor of their home, but Sea Tow says their bond has only grown stronger.
“It’s been hard,” said Cheryl Powers in a statement. “Our family was displaced, and we were separated from our girls, but we’re finally getting back to normal.”
The couple’s three daughters, ages 14, 18 and 20, love the fact that their parents are partners both at home and at work.
A decade ago, the couple traded their corporate jobs and launched Sea Tow Key Largo, something they’d discussed since first meeting as freshmen at Florida State University.
“It was difficult at first,” said Cheryl Powers. “We weren’t used to being together 24 hours a day; but we just tried to figure it out together. It builds you and makes you stronger working as a team like that.”
Now Steve Powers spends each day out on the water as the franchise’s head captain, while Cheryl holds down the fort ashore, handling all sales and marketing efforts, organizing social events and handing out advice to the Keys’ countless tourists and other visitors.
“We are so fortunate to be in Key Largo,” she said. “It’s just such a festive, fun, exciting environment.”
