Meeting held for future of Beach Park in Port Charlotte

Beach Park in Port Charlotte has been closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton due to boats and other debris scattered across the property. Last week county leaders held a special meeting to come up with a solution to finally reopen the park to neighbors.

If all goes well, people can expect the park to reopen in the middle of January or February.

This is just a ballpark time frame since it depends on a few things, including the contract approval between the state and the county.

Stephen Protsch is pushing for Port Charlotte Beach Park to reopen after lying empty since Hurricane Milton.

“We’ve deprived a lot of older people that really rely on the park as a great part of their outlet and their day’s activities, and we cannot use it,” said Protsch.

Charlotte County commissioners held a special meeting to talk about the progress of the park after the community heard from site workers that the boats were going to be crushed.

“To the best of my knowledge, we never authorized or approved two weeks ago that boat to go in there, and as soon we found out, the county issued a cease and desist letter because that contract had never been signed,” said Protsch. “But they said the boat was never crushed. I don’t know what the driver said but they said the boat was lifted up, and tapped into the back of the truck.”

So what’s next? State approval and a new contractor.

Charlotte County sent over everything to the state and the Florida Division of Emergency Management, so now they’re playing the waiting game.

“To be able to do that, there are logistics that have to come into play,” said Community Services director Tommy Scott. “A vendor installed a fence, so we will have to work on doing that. We have to make sure we get locates, we have to permit it, we have to actually do it, and there’s mowing that has to occur. Facilities have worked to evaluate the restrooms.”

There are currently 35 vessels that remain in Charlotte Harbor waterways and one sailboat that’s on the beach.

This map shown at the meeting shows what parts of the park could open once the agreement is settled.

The orange closes off beach access, leaving sports courts and the playground open to visitors.

Protsch believes if more had been done sooner, this delay could’ve been avoided.

“I think they’re trying, but initially, they hid behind a lot of obfuscation. They would not be open with us, not transparent at all,” said Protsch. “Now all of a sudden, we’re coming down to two and a half, three months after the event. And finally, they’re trying possibly to open it, but it hasn’t been on an accelerated basis at all.”

Again, it’s a matter of waiting on when the state will get back to the county about a contractor agreement.

It’s looking like it will be closer to the new year when we can expect an answer, but residents are hoping sooner rather than later.