Palm Harbor Girl Scouts Camp Reopens after Storm Damage

Girl Scouts of West Central Florida’s Camp Wai Lani is open for summer after hurricane recovery and other improvements.

Mary Pat King, who serves as CEO for Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, says their reopening was thanks to support from community partners.

“This camp in particular suffered massive flooding, dock damage and major building damage,” said King.

The Juvenile Welfare Board funded some $500,000 for storm recovery, cleanup and to complete projects that were already underway.

Beth Houghton, CEO of the Juvenile Welfare Board in Pinellas County, emphasized the importance of completing that work to continue the camp’s character-building programs.

“We can strengthen girls so that they start with a sense of confidence, of belonging and have done things that they thought maybe they could never do,” said Houghton.

The initial hit from 2024’s storms stuck with Calley Pate, a former Girl Scout, now Troop Leader.

Pate’s daughter is also a Girl Scout and has participated in camp activities for eleven years.

“Seeing the damage to the property was kind of heartbreaking to the point where I probably cried a few times, just the uncertainty of when it was going to be open and the extent of the damage,” said Pate.

Several of the projects included refurbishing nine cabins and installing additional air conditioning in main gathering areas.

Work finished in time to welcome the first round of summer campers on June 8.

“It warms my heart because I know that these are core memories and our Girls Scouts are really building not only the character that they need in life but also the skills,” said King.

View the segment and read the article as originally published at https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2025/05/28/girl-scout-camp-wai-lani-ready-for-summer-campers-after-storm-damage-