PORT ST. JOHN, Fla. – Two years after a popular Brevard County boat ramp was damaged during Hurricane Irma it is finally expected to reopen for traffic.
The county said the Port St. John boat ramp will open sometime this month. An official date is expected this to be announced Friday.
"We know a lot of people have been waiting for it," Brevard County spokesman Don Walker said.
Hurricane Irma in 2017 battered 20 boat ramps throughout the county, including the Port St. John boat ramp on U.S. 1.
It's important because small businesses and their employees across the road depend on it.
Rosie Parker manages Captain Roy Allen's Bait and Tackle Shop and said business has been hurting since the storm.
"When the boat ramp comes back, it will pick up and I won't have to worry so much," Parker said.
The bait shop said it's gotten by during the past two years by scraping along and cutting back.
Along with hurting business, the boat ramp is also a popular spot on the Indian River to watch rocket launches.
The county said repairs started in April 2018 now total $750,000.
Parker is hopeful customers will return when the boat ramp reopens, adding "Just come in and see us."