Charlotte County businesses grapple with hurricane damages – Gulfshore Business

Throughout Charlotte County, officials are tallying the number of businesses affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton that made landfall less than two weeks apart. City of Punta Gorda is conducting its own assessment of its business community.

“We have a total of 51 business locations entered into our damage assessment tool,” Punta Gorda Assistant City Manager Melissa Reichert said. “Keep in mind the Building Department is still out conducting substantial damage estimates. Any one building reported as damaged can have multiple businesses in it, so that is also not factored in the number of businesses.”

The city’s assessment includes restaurants. “It will take time to get estimates on what the repair costs will be, what [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] will cover and the implications, if any, on tax bills,” Reichert said.

County Economic Development Director Kay Tracy said her office is monitoring its call center and outreach efforts have resulted in approximately 1,000 calls so far. As of Oct. 16, 500 calls were unanswered, and of the remaining 500 calls, county officials found 64 businesses impacted by the hurricanes, with 60 of those currently closed.

Tracy said it is too early to estimate the total damage. “We recommend that businesses affected by the hurricane complete the Business Damage Assessment Survey on the Florida Disaster website. This will help Charlotte County and the state of Florida assess the full impact on our community,” she said.

To date, more than 26,000 emails have been sent to businesses in the county.

Businesses can visit the Small Business Development Center’s Mobile Assistance Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 18-20 at Charlotte Town Center Mall. The center will assist businesses with recovery.

After suffering a one-two punch from Helene and Milton, Celtic Ray Public House in Punta Gorda held true to its promise to reopen. Following an effort to clean out the sludge and water from Milton’s flooding, the Ray opened its outdoor bar and seating area Oct. 14, employee Keeley Morneau said.

The pub was flooded from Helene and was able to reopen the outdoor bar area within a few days. Shortly after Milton struck, a team of employees and others worked to clear debris, dry out the area and clean.

Celtic Ray operates 365 days a year, but instead of closing at 2 a.m., it will most likely close earlier for the immediate future, Morneau said.

Other Punta Gorda restaurants flooded from the storms also will reopen, including Carmelo’s Italian Ristorante.

In Englewood and Manasota Key, businesses were deluged by sand blown into structures and storm surge. Lock ‘N Key, Magnolias on the Bay, SandBar Tiki & Grille, Landy’s Restaurant, The Waverly and other restaurants are closed pending cleanup.

Farlow’s on the Water, a popular Englewood restaurant on South McCall Road, posted on its website it is supporting Lock ‘N Key and its sister restaurants, SandBar Tiki & Grille and Magnolias on the Bay, by offering its Englewood Strong Cocktail and donating 100% of its sales to the three restaurants’ staff members.

Many locals and visitors are awaiting the reopening of Fishermen’s Village, home to about 30 shops and businesses, including Coldwell Banker Sunstar Realty, Simply Sweet, Caribongo, Dragon Fly, Sea Spirit, Village Outfitters, Captain’s Landing, Sea Bags, Dana Tyler Boutique and Naples Soap Co.

Captain’s Table, Harpoon Harry’s and Village Brewhouse are restaurants located at the Village, and other eateries include Harborside Coffee & Creamery and Simply Sweet.

Fishermen’s Village General Manager Patti Allen said the dining and shopping destination is in cleanup and recovery mode but has made good progress. She emphasized that Fishermen’s Village is currently limited to merchants, employees and repair service companies.