Raso Realty office reopens in wake of Hurricane Ian
Five months after its ceiling caved in, water ran rampant throughout the building, and personal treasures were lost, Raso Realty on Tuesday reopened its offices for the first time since Hurricane Ian.
Members of community came out in abundance to support the family-owned business that is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The building underwent nearly a complete renovation and can house some of the area’s most experienced agents.
“Throughout our history, Raso Realty has been a labor of love not only for real estate but for the Cape Coral community and Southwest Florida,” said Raso Realty owner and broker Dennis Hackworth. “This was certainly a labor of love to reopen, but this agency and this family were determined to bring back everything thing this business means to us and the area.”
When Joe Raso moved his family to Cape Coral in 1960, his dream was to open a family-run real estate agency. He succeeded on June 10, 1973, opening Raso Realty with wife Grace on Cape Coral Street. There were only about 400 people in the city then but over time, Raso Realty grew into one of the region’s top full-service, independent real estate agencies, helping buyers and sellers locate the finest properties and negotiate some of the best deals in Southwest Florida.
Hackworth said while it feels like years since Hurricane Ian blew through the region, it has only been five months — he thought it would take much longer to get the building back in shape. He remembers driving around surveying damage after the storm and feeling discouraged about the state of the office. He said it was his son that helped get the ball rolling on restoration.
“Everybody did an amazing job helping us get back to where we are,” Hackworth said.
City Councilmember Tom Hayden, on behalf of the mayor, city, and Council, presented the Raso family a key to the city — only the second-ever given out.
Members of the Raso family that also helped cut the official re-opening ribbon included Hackworth, Cathy Sangiovanni, Gloria Raso Tate, Diane Strack, Debbie Raso, Donna Jo Cottrell, and Ralph Sangiovanni.
“It’s really a wonderful feeling of euphoria being back. This is my happy place,” said Tate. “We’re finally back where we belong. It’s wonderful to see the community come out and support us. We’re not the only ones that have gone through this, so we appreciate everyone being here.”
Employees had been working from home since the storm, and can now come back to the office.
Tate, a former Cape Coral city council member, said her family did not want to give up or back down from returning to their home despite the two feet of water that destroyed almost everything.
“This is our lifeblood,” she said. “We’ve stuck together through thick-and-thin.
“We’re so close-knit here.”
Raso Realty will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an open-to-the-public-event on June 11 at Stone’s Throw in downtown Cape Coral.
“I’m just amazed that my dad started something, and I’m blessed we all had the vision, passion, and desire to keep it running,” Tate said.
To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com