Tampa, Florida — A memorial bench dedicated to a Florida father that was swept into the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricane Helene in 2024 has turned up more than 1,000 miles away in Bermuda, giving a family an extraordinary surprise nearly two years after they believed the sentimental memorial was gone forever.
The bench belonged to the family of Amanda Sadiku and was installed along the Dunedin Causeway in 2018 in memory of her father, Medhat “Mike” Sadiku, who died on September 3, 2012.
For years, the bench offered the family a place to remember him along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Then Hurricane Helene arrived and dramatically changed the story of the memorial.
Hurricane Helene Swept the Bench Into the Gulf
Although Hurricane Helene became especially notorious for its devastating impacts in North Carolina, the storm first struck Florida’s Gulf Coast in September 2024.
The Tampa Bay region experienced powerful surf, damaging winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge as Helene moved toward Florida. Along the Dunedin Causeway, the conditions were strong enough to sweep multiple memorial benches away from the waterfront.
Among them was the bench honoring Sadiku’s father.
For the family, the loss was especially painful because the bench was not simply a piece of public furniture. It had been installed specifically to preserve the memory of someone they loved.
The Sadiku family eventually came to believe they would never see it again.
The damage caused by Helene also affected other families. Several memorial benches were swept away, prompting the city of Dunedin to pause its memorial bench program in October 2024, shortly after the hurricane.
Family Thought the Memorial Was Gone Forever
For nearly two years, there was no indication of where the bench had gone.
Then Amanda received an unexpected Facebook message from a woman who said she had discovered the memorial bench on a beach in Bermuda.
The message came as a shock.
The woman provided photographs showing the bench and even sent Amanda a picture of herself standing beside it in Warwick Parish. The images appeared to confirm that the memorial had survived its journey across the Atlantic.
For the Sadiku family, what had seemed like a permanent loss suddenly became an extraordinary story of survival.
How Did the Bench Travel So Far?
The bench’s journey from Florida to Bermuda has left the family with an unusual mystery.
After being swept from the Dunedin Causeway during Hurricane Helene, the memorial apparently entered the Gulf of Mexico and eventually made its way far beyond Florida.
Exactly how the bench traveled more than 1,000 miles from Florida to Bermuda remains unclear.
Ocean currents, winds and the movement of storm-driven water can transport floating objects considerable distances, but the precise path taken by the heavy memorial bench is not known.
What is certain is that it eventually reached Bermuda, where it was discovered on a beach long after the hurricane had passed.
Family Now Faces an Emotional Decision
The unexpected discovery has created a new question for the Sadiku family: What should happen to the bench now?
The family is trying to determine whether it can be transported back to Dunedin, where it originally served as a memorial to Mike Sadiku, or whether it should remain in Bermuda.
Either choice would give the bench another chapter in a story that began as a permanent tribute in Florida and unexpectedly turned into a journey across the ocean.
Returning it to Dunedin could restore the memorial to the place where Amanda and her family originally installed it. Leaving it in Bermuda, meanwhile, would preserve the remarkable circumstances surrounding its discovery.
For now, the family is considering its options.
What was once believed to have disappeared forever has instead become a remarkable reminder of how far an object—and a memory—can travel.
Would you bring the memorial bench back to Florida or leave it in Bermuda as a symbol of its incredible journey? Share your thoughts in the comments.
