PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The City of Gulfport just received the permits it needed from the Army Corps of Engineers to repair the southern basin of the municipal marina.
"It's definitely a long time coming, there's a lot of recovery still to happen around here," said Joseph Ferlise who works at Gulfport Brewery.
Almost two years after Hurricane Helene, some parts of the Tampa Bay Area are still recovering.
"We displaced 56 vessels after the hurricane hit. We accommodated about half of that in our dry storage for the vessels that were on boat lifts," said Denis Frain, Gulfport Marina Director.
The Gulfport Marina is a big sign of progress.
"Progress in the right direction is great, and hopefully it signifies some more progress," said Ferlise.
The City of Gulfport finally received the necessary permits from Army Corps of Engineers to make repairs to the southern basin portion of the marina.
Crews will now begin demolishing and rebuilding
"We are ready to move froward, drive some pilings and get the boaters back where they belong," said Frain.
The director of the marina said people have been very eager to get their boats back out to enjoy the Gulfport area.
"We have people from Tampa, Hillsborough County, Clearwater and they use the facility to take their family out for a day of fishing and boating… and they might stop at a restaurant and spend some money there," said Frain.
Without the south basin being open, Joseph Ferlise who works at the Gulfport Brewery, says business hasn't been the same.
"Boat traffic used to be a fun part of our clientele and theres a lot of great people who would stop, dock and grab a beer and go so we are definitely excited to see them come back," said Ferlise.
He said once the south basin reopens fully, he hopes to see some familiar faces return.
"Gulfport is a weird place full of weirdos, so we want to make sure the weirdos have a place to park their boat," said Ferlise.
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