It's been eight months since Hurricane Helene forced the closure of the Dunedin Marina.
Repairs are still underway, but the marina is finally open.
"Generation by generation, we've worked very hard to keep it the quaint marina that it is right now, and we're going to do that in the future too," Jennifer Bramley, Dunedin city manager, said. "We're still going to support the nostalgia of the marina, the quaintness of the marina, if you will, and, you know, ensure that it continues as the heart of our community."
WATCH: Dunedin Marina reopens, but work still remains
For much of the marina, there's still no electrical power. Officials hope electricity will be fully back by the end of July.
"The damage to our marina was extensive. The day dock, our pier, was damaged and is closed at the east bulkhead wall, which is the sea wall. It pulled away from land, essentially, and created a crevasse which we could not cross to get to A dock, B dock and C dock. We had extensive damage to the electrical system. The pedestals were all demolished by Helene," said Bramley.
The cost to make these repairs? $9.2 million. And there's a process dealing with insurance and FEMA to make sure the city gets reimbursed.
"FEMA will reimburse up to 75% of what we need to replace. We need to ensure that we do things properly and dot our I's to make sure that we get that reimbursement. Because financially, $10 million is a hit on the marina fund, and it's a hit on the city. So we need to make sure that we do things right financially as well," explained Bramley.
As for the pier and marina at Weaver Park, plans call for them to reopen sometime next year.
"The pier needs to be completely replaced. We are looking at conceptual designs right now. We're going to start construction in January of 2026 and complete it by the end of the year," Bramley said.
