Putnam commissioners direct staff to craft options to restore Fort Gates Ferry after residents and operator offer to run service

Putnam County commissioners gave staff direction March 10 to develop legal and administrative options for reopening the Fort Gates Ferry after residents and the ferry’s operator urged the board to restore service.

Travis Roberts, who identified himself as a co‑owner and operator of the Fort Gates Ferry business, told the commissioners he and partner Dale Jones own the barge and the named business and said they are willing to rebuild landings, maintain the facility and run the ferry if the county can resolve legal ownership and lease issues. "We own the barge," Roberts said, adding that the boat and barge insurance and the captain’s licenses are current. He urged commissioners to avoid a large FDOT plan that he said ballooned costs and instead support community fundraising and local repairs.

Roberts and other residents described the ferry as both a historic landmark and a daily lifeline for about 25 regular users who rely on it to reach jobs, medical care and emergency services. "If the people get cut off from 19, unless they have a boat, they've got to jump in the river," Roberts told the board, and he cited a recent plane recovery operation the ferry…