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Committee hears Hurricane Ian repair progress, seawall work and finance update; minutes approved
Summary
City public-works staff reported progress on Hurricane Ian-related seawall work, barge repairs, mangrove trimming and inlet dredging, and said FEMA-related funds and carryovers will roll into next year's budget. The committee approved Sept. 15 minutes by unanimous voice vote.
Punta Gorda — At its Oct. 20 meeting, the Punta Gorda Isles Canal Advisory Committee received updates from city public-works staff on seawall replacements tied to Hurricane Ian recovery, maintenance operations and finance matters, and approved the minutes from the Sept. 15 meeting.
Mark Storm, Canal Maintenance supervisor, told the committee that work on seawall replacements and associated crane and barge repairs is underway. He said a crane received a new engine and should be fully operational "about a week out" and that the contractor awarded the work under the new three-year contract still has three outstanding sites under the old contract to finish. "It's about a week out to be in fully repaired and operational," Storm said of the crane.
Storm discussed budget and revenue reporting tied to FEMA and related hurricane work. He said the seawall-replacement program had approximately $14,000,000 budgeted for the year and that the program was "a little over half" complete; staff reported final payments posted Oct. 3 and that remaining funds will roll over to the next year. He said the target is to complete the program in 2026.
Storm also provided progress updates on post-Ian seawall phases by area, saying Punta Gorda Isles overall was about 73% complete and that some phases were in warranty and receiving small post-construction fixes. He estimated that some of the longer, lower-priority areas could extend into spring 2026 and that staff is pushing to have most work done earlier in the dry season.
On vegetation and inlet work, Storm said mangrove trimming was nearly finished (about 91% complete) and that inlet dredging was reduced this year but funds remain for next-year work on specific inlets and near boat ramps where shallow areas have developed.
Committee members asked for more regular progress reporting; Storm said he can provide updated assessment and progress sheets and will email the detailed lists that were missing from the meeting packet. Brian Clements, Public Works, added that even if water access to a spoil site is not immediately available, trucking operations could continue to move material to staging lots.
Procedural action: The committee approved the minutes of the Sept. 15, 2025 meeting by voice vote after a motion to approve and a second. The chair called for "All in favor? Aye." No opposition was recorded on the record.
The committee set its next meeting for Nov. 17 and heard no public comments during the Oct. 20 session.
