Bring Back the Hurricane Cake: Florida’s Sweetest Storm Tradition

If you’ve lived in Florida long enough, you know hurricane season isn’t just a line on the calendar — it’s a mood. The air gets heavier, the shelves start looking bare, and there’s always that one neighbor tying down a trampoline like it’s a prized racehorse.

But a few years ago, Publix gave us something that cut through the tension like a buttercream knife: the hurricane cake. Swirls of bright blue, red, and white icing shaped like radar images, cheeky phrases like “Go Away” or “Leave Florida Alone” written on top. They weren’t just cakes — they were edible inside jokes, a moment of shared laughter before the storm.

Why These Cakes Mattered

Storm prep in Florida is part survival, part ritual. We stock up on batteries and bottled water, sure, but we also know the power of comfort food when the wind starts to howl. The hurricane cake was our way of saying, “Yes, it’s scary — but we’ve got each other.”

Neighbors would post pictures on Facebook, tagging friends across the state. People would pick one up for hurricane parties or as a treat to make the kids smile when the weather report looked grim. It was a tradition that made strangers feel like part of the same storm family.

Why They Went Away

After devastating storms like Ian and Nicole, Publix decided to stop making hurricane cakes, saying it didn’t want to make light of a natural disaster. The sentiment is understandable — hurricanes take lives, destroy homes, and leave scars on entire communities.

But here’s the thing: humor and togetherness don’t trivialize tragedy — they help us endure it. Floridians know better than anyone that we can respect the seriousness of a storm while still finding a little sunshine in the chaos.

A Way Forward

Bringing back hurricane cakes doesn’t have to mean ignoring the pain storms cause. What if Publix used them as a way to help? Imagine a portion of sales going toward hurricane relief funds or local charities that rebuild after storms. The cakes could become a symbol not just of laughter, but of resilience and support.

This isn’t just about dessert — it’s about keeping a Florida tradition alive in a way that lifts people up when they need it most.

Sign the Petition and Share the Story

If you remember hurricane cakes — or wish you could’ve experienced them — now’s the time to speak up. I’ve started a petition to bring them back, and every signature counts. Let’s show Publix that Floridians want our sweet tradition back, not to make light of storms, but to keep our community spirit strong.

📜 Sign the Petition Here

Share this with friends, family, and neighbors. Post it in your local groups. Talk about it in line at Publix (we know you will anyway). The more voices we have, the harder we’ll be to ignore.

Because in Florida, we don’t just weather the storm — we bring cake.