- The City is aware of the strong public interest in the status of the work to restore our Marina, and we appreciate the community’s passion for this important public asset. We understand and empathize with residents who are frustrated by the pace of recovery nearly three years after Hurricane Ian. The City shares that frustration.
- To ensure an accurate and expert-driven repair plan, the City engaged marine engineering professionals with over 46 years of experience. These specialists conducted a thorough assessment of the damage and provided a detailed scope of work necessary to restore the Marina infrastructure.
- According to the assessment by marine engineers hired by the City, Ian caused approximately $18 million dollars of damage to the docks and basin. Part of the damage cannot be seen from the surface as it is in the form of silt that was pushed into the basins from the wind and waves that needs to be dredged. The rest of the damage was to the docks, the pilings securing the docks.
- The City worked with FEMA to assess the damage and determine what would be reimbursed. FEMA originally agreed to the scope and budget but recently determined it would do another review. The City is currently working with FEMA and our consultants to come to an agreement that will allow restoration of the Marina to move forward.
While the City began assessing needed improvements to the Marina in 2021 and set aside money for development of a new Master Plan in December of 2021, the lease of the Marina to the longtime operator did not end until May 31, 2022. The City was in the process of assessing the entire facility to determine the best course regarding insurance at the time of impact from Hurricane Ian; however, the docks and basin itself, which took the brunt of the damage from this event, are not insurable for hurricane damage.
Items the City of Sanford has completed to date:
- Mitigated mold from flooding of dry storage building
- Refurbished ship’s store
- Improved parking at ship’s store
- Installed new sanitary system pump out equipment
- Repaired the travel lift and forklift
- Reroofed dry storage building
- Installed storage racks in dry storage building
- Painted and waterproofed dry storage building
The City of Sanford has been working tirelessly to restore the Sanford Marina following major damage from Hurricane Ian in 2022. We’ve partnered with marine engineers with decades of experience to assess and plan the necessary repairs. We know the community is eager to see progress and so are we—we’re committed to restoring this important community asset for all. The City is committed to restoring the Sanford Marina to its previous condition. We remain transparent throughout this process; we are doing everything we can to coordinate properly with our FEMA and State partners on this project and will continue to provide updates as soon as new information becomes available.
