PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — According to Charlotte County officials, Port Charlotte Beach Park will remain closed for the foreseeable future, despite some push back from residents.
The park closed after hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged the park, and a fence with a locked gate was set up around the entrance.
Residents who use the park have been outspoken about trying to reopen it, and members of the Buena Vista Property Owners have formed a "Reopen the Port Charlotte Beach Park" committee.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on the Port Charlotte Beach Park closure:
“I am going to push for ways, we think it is possible to open 80-90% of it,” said Frank Kudrna, chairman of the committee.
Kudrna, a former engineering firm head, said amenities like the tennis courts could be used and only sustained minimal damage during the hurricanes.
Despite some debate over the extent of the damage to different areas of the park, the county said it is too dangerous to have the public use it.
“Ankle and knee deep muck and mud, glass everywhere, boards, nails — you name it, the facility is just covered with a tremendous amount of unsafe materials,” Tommy Scott, Director of Community Services told Fox 4.
In addition to repairing hurricane damage, the recreation center and pool in the park are scheduled to be demolished and rebuilt.
At Tuesday’s Charlotte County Commissioners meeting, they voted 3-2 to approve $947,989 for the demolition of the existing buildings and 3-2 to move forward with negotiations for planning and design of the new recreation center, pool and pool house.
Commissioners Constance and Deutsch were the dissenting votes on both items.
“It was voted on a 1% sales tax option to replace those buildings and the pool,” said Scott. “So we had always planned on taking those buildings down and building new.”
The county is also working with the state to remove derelict vessels and marine debris from county waterways, which will be processed through the park while it’s closed to the public.
“We need a good safe space to be able to take those boats out of the water way and then remove them," said Scott. "We are not looking to have boats there for an extended period of time, it really is a temporary step."
Despite the ongoing projects, Kudrna said he hopes the county can compromise with the residents trying to use the park.
“This is going to be a long process and the park should not be closed for the entire period,” said Kudrna.
While an exact timeline wasn't given, Scott told Fox 4 the county aims to have portions of the park open as soon as it is safe to do so.
“We are looking at months, not years to be able to have some limited access to the amenities that are safe and usable," said Scott. “Public safety is our number one concern, it always will be. I know it's frustrating to our community, but until it is safe I hope people can have patience and know that we are working diligently to try and be able to allow people to get back in there and use it.”
