SANFORD, Fla. – Long-awaited repairs to Sanford’s marina are set to finally be made, three years after Hurricane Ian flooded the Riverwalk and damaged docks.
Monday night, the city commission approved a contract to start the design and permitting work. News 6 spoke with Mayor Art Woodruff, who called it a “big milestone.”
“It’s a key part of our downtown. It’s a huge economic driver. It’s a recreational driver,” said Mayor Woodruff. “It’s not like we’ve been sitting around, you know, wanting something to happen and not working for it. We’ve been working towards this since the storm.”
Since 2022, the city has been trying to get FEMA to reimburse them for the damage done to the marina by Hurricane Ian. But in March, News 6 learned from staff that the tone of recent meetings they had with the agency turned “disappointing and concerning.”
Documents obtained by News 6 show the needed repairs for the marina will cost $20 million, but the city learned this summer that the federal agency had only agreed to pay for $6.4 million. That’s enough to cover the silt removal but leaves taxpayers on the hook to cover the rest.
Sanford hired a firm with experience handling FEMA claims, with the hopes of eventually getting a full reimbursement. But the mayor tells News 6 they’re now ready to go ahead and pay to restore the marina with money from the city’s general fund if needed.
“We’re to the point where, definitely, the silt removal is eligible for reimbursement,” said Mayor Woodruff. “Based on our appeal, the rest of it may or may not be eligible for reimbursement. But, you know, regardless of it, it’s been almost three years since the damage occurred. We’ve got to get this fixed and get going.”
Mayor Woodruff said the city will continue with the appeals process, but they have reserved the money they need for the repairs and will still move forward with the dock replacement and silt removal — even if they are not reimbursed.
This summer, a spokesperson for FEMA told News 6 that the marina project remains under review. And that “By law, FEMA may only reimburse costs to return the marina to its pre-disaster condition, and any damage must be a result of the disaster. FEMA cannot reimburse for repair of damage caused by deterioration or deferred maintenance. Our team is in regular contact with the city and the Florida Division of Emergency Management as we work to reimburse every dollar of FEMA assistance for which the city is eligible under the law.”
Documents included in the agenda for Monday night’s city commission meeting show the contract for the design and permitting will cost roughly $1 million with firm Neel-Schafer, Inc.
The mayor said that process could take a year alone to complete, before any construction or dredging begins along the waterfront.
“And so we may not see any quick work being done because we have to get through all of the design and all of the permitting process, and some of the permitting is through the state and through the water management district,” said Woodruff.
He added he is confident the commission will approve the contract and get the ball rolling.
“The entire commission has been waiting for this to happen,” said Woodruff. “And that’s why we’ve got the money set aside for it.”