The Tampa Bay sports fan, who became known for his Tampa Bay fan apparel when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made it into the playoffs in 2021, has been creating a new t-shirt for every Tampa Bay win since he established 1771 Designs in 2020.
Shapiro’s latest design, however, was inspired by loss. Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged 40,910 Pinellas County homes, destroying 714. In Hillsborough County, County Commissioners have allocated $60 million from the Catastrophic Disaster Recovery Fund to cover emergency cleanup costs.
It’s hard to put a positive spin on such bad news, but Shapiro designed his “Stronger than the Storm” T-shirt to honor Tampa Bay’s resilience and unity in response to our shared loss. Multiple news reports describe Tampa Bay business owners and residents sharing food, power and shelter with those affected by the storms.
“Together, we can weather any storm,” Shapiro posted to Facebook when announcing the new design.
Shapiro’s “Stronger than the Storm” T-shirts feature a pelican perched on a pier post with Tampa’s skyline to the left and St. Petersburg’s skyline to the right. In the background, a map of Tampa Bay is encircled with the message, “Stronger than the Storm.”
Proceeds from T-shirt sales go to the We Are St. Pete fund and Feeding Tampa Bay. Find it via 1771designs.com.
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This article appears in Oct 31 – Nov 6, 2024.