PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Neighbors and boat owners are asking Pinellas County to fix up a popular boat ramp.
Boat owners said they want to see the floating boat docks at Bay Pines Boat Ramp repaired after being damaged by Hurricane Helene.
WATCH: Residents ask county to repair Bay Pines boat ramp
"Hurricane Helene took out all the floating docks, all the water came flying up, so all the docks were cockeyed, some boats hit them, and beat up everything, debris everywhere," said Joe Masi, who owns Masi Boys Fishing Charters.
Masi said the Bay Pines Boat Ramp has been damaged for over a year.
"You had one floating dock here, another one here, another one in the middle and another one on the far left over there," said Masi.
The Bay Pines Boat Ramp used to be the main location where he would launch his charter boat.
"Very safe for your clients to get in and out of," said Masi.
But since Hurricane Helene, he's been losing business.
"I think it has affected a lot of the customers. You know, they don't want to come down here and see this beat up ramp, their spending their hard earned money…and they don't want to jump off of this cement platform onto a boat," said Masi.
Steve Ross used to take his boat out at Bay Pines, but now has to use other locations.
"Well now I have to go down to Maximo, or up to the Belleair Causeway Boat Ramp, and a lot of times Maximo runs out of parking, so it makes it a lot more difficult," said Ross.
Boat owners said they were originally told the boat docks would be repaired by the beginning of 2026, but now the county says they will be repaired by the end of this year.
Tampa Bay 28's Casey Albritton reached out to the county. A spokesperson said it's taking a while to repair the floating boat docks because engineers are designing more storm-resistant structures to withstand hurricane damage in the future.
"I just hope they get the boat ramp back as soon as possible," said Ross.
Share Your Story with Casey
Casey Albritton is dedicated to telling your stories throughout Pinellas County. From South St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs, she’s there to share the triumphs and struggles of the community she calls home. So, let Casey know about the stories that matter to you.
.
Florida veteran served in Gulf War loses citizenship fight, fears deportation
A Florida veteran who served in the U.S. Marines during the Persian Gulf War has lost his federal court case in his decade-long fight for U.S. citizenship — and now faces deportation to a country that may no longer claim him.
