Flagler Beach Reels at Death of SunBros Café Owner Travis Sundell, 49, ‘Passionate Part of What Makes This Town Special’

Travis Gene Sundell, the 49-year-old owner and operator, with his wife Leigh Ann, of SunBros Café in the heart of Flagler Beach since 2021, died Friday. 

Family, friends, neighbors and regular patrons of the restaurant and bar, which one regular compared to “Cheers” for its friendliness, were reeling at the unexpected announcement this weekend, first posted on the restaurant’s business page on Facebook: “It is with great sadness,” the family posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page the night of May 2, “we announce the sudden passing of Travis today. We will be closed while we take some personal time for the family.” 




A GoFundMe page organized by Tracy Callahan-Hennessey of Flagler Strong, the Flagler Beach non-profit, noted that Sundell died “suddenly from an aortic aneurysm,” the condition that took the life of Flagler Beach’s Tommy Tant in 1998, for whom the town’s annual surf classic was named. 

“The sudden passing of Travis Sundell is a devastating loss for our entire community,” John Lulgjuraj, owner of Flagler Beach’s Oceanside Beach Bar and Grill and a leader of the Flagler Beach Business Bureau, said this morning. “As the heart behind SunBros, Travis and his wife poured everything he had into his business and into Flagler Beach. He wasn’t just a business owner—he was a neighbor, a husband, a father, and a passionate part of what makes this town special.”

Lulgjuraj said the city’s close-knit community is rallying around the family. “On behalf of the Flagler Beach Business Bureau, we mourn his loss and honor his legacy. His impact will not be forgotten,” he said. 

Sundell and his wife Leigh (formerly Larimore: they married in October 1999) had lived in the tiny town of Delavan, Ill., just south of Peoria, where Travis had been in public works and served on the Delavan School Board before they bought their house on Palm Coast’s Londonderry Drive in October 2020. 




Within days, Travis’s brother Daniel Sundell of St. Augustine, closed on a purchase of the 4,000-square-foot restaurant at the corner of Old Moody Boulevard and South Daytona Avenue, which had been Baynes Barbeque and Southern Kitchen. (That restaurant was a victim of Covid, as was its co-owner, Anthony Tucker, who survived a close call with the disease.) SunBros opened in 2021 with its blend of offerings from specialty coffees to breakfast, lunch and a full bar that became the favored haunt of regulars, plus weekly live music. 

“I am joined by many friends and customers of SunBros,” Ken Bryan, one of the SunBros regulars and a former city commissioner, said this morning. “Travis , LeAnne and staff have always been friendly and very gracious. Travis was more than a business owner, he was like a family member. For a couple of years SunBros has been a regular ‘get together’ place every Friday we always look forward to meeting at. Travis always greeted us with a big smile and was anxious to share a sample of the restaurant’s new beverage or recipe. He will be missed and my heart and prayers go out to his family and many friends now grieving his passing.”

It’s been a family business from its inception, with Travis and Leann sharing the major duties and their sons Abrien, 20, and Anisen, 13, among the more than a dozen employees running the operation. 

“Travis was the heart and soul of SunBros. He worked side by side with his wife and sons every day, pouring love and energy into the café and the people who walked through its doors,” Callahan-Hennessey wrote on the GoFundMe page. “He was known for his sharp wit, generous spirit, and infectious smile. Whether you needed a helping hand, a warm meal, or just a good laugh, Travis was there. Always.” (The page had exceeded $8,000 by this morning, including $505 from Nicholas Kimball, while another campaign by Faye Calfee was nearing $6,000, including $500 from Charles Gambaro, the Palm Coast council member.) 




This morning of course the business was dark but for the bluish hue of its indoor neon sign and its steaming cup of coffee wrapped around “SunBros.”

Flagler Beach city commissioners reflected the shock felt across the city. “Travis’s sudden passing is a tragedy not only for his family, but also for Flagler Beach,” Commissioner and fellow-business owner Scott Spradley said. “Travis was a good friend to the community and always put his best foot forward when it came to integrating and growing his business in a manner that improved the downtown area. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”

Commissioner Rick Belhumeur said: “A huge loss to our community. I didn’t know him real well personally, but I do know that no one was a stranger to Travis. He was kind and generous to everyone and I’m certain that anyone who knew him is devastated, including myself.”