BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Most of the popular fishing pier at Port Canaveral's Jetty Park reopened Friday after being closed for three months due to damage from Hurricane Irma, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.
"There were fishermen already on there" shortly after the Malcolm McLouth Fishing Pier reopened, said Steve Linden, Port Canaveral's director of communications and public affairs. "People love it."
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Among the fish that typically are caught from the pier are bluefish, mangrove snapper, pompano and sheepshead, Linden said.
The repairs included new aluminum rails that replaced damaged wooden rails along the 920-foot lower pier; 40 new light fixtures and accompanying wiring with lighting of the type that does not interfere with sea turtle nesting; and new fish-cleaning stations, Florida Today reported.
The total cost of the project was $212,000, which will be paid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the port's insurance company. The contractor on the project was Canaveral Construction Co.
A smaller upper section of the pier remains closed, awaiting repairs, Linden said.
Hurricane Irma total damages: In all, Port Canaveral sustained about $2.9 million in damages from Hurricane Irma, which passed through Florida on Sept. 10 and 11.
Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Murray said the biggest financial cost is about $1.5 million to repair extensive erosion on the south side of eastbound lanes of State Road 528, at the western edge of port property. Two other areas of damage on port property were in the Jetty Park area, and the "mostly superficial" cosmetic damage at Cruise Terminal 8, which is used by Disney Cruise Line, according to Florida Today.
About $400,000 of the $2.9 million in total costs to the port was in the form of lost revenue. That's primarily related to the cancellation of three cruises — two by Disney and one by Royal Caribbean.
Hurricane Matthew total damages: Meanwhile, the port continues to seek reimbursements for its losses from Hurricane Matthew, which passed just east of the port in October 2016.
In all, Port Canaveral sustained $2.61 million in property damage and $678,228 in lost business income as a result of Hurricane Matthew, according to Port Canaveral Deputy Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer Rodger Rees. Additionally, there was a $184,020 cost for labor to do the repairs.
Rees told port commissioners this week that $3.22 million of that $3.47 million is covered under port insurance policies. But $750,000 will come out of that total for insurance deductibles.
So far, the port has received two insurance payments totaling about $1.66 million, and is expected another $808,426, Florida Today reported.
Rees said the port will seek reimbursement from FEMA of the $750,000 that comes under insurance deductibles, as well as the additional $247,861 the insurance companies would not cover.