Updates on the reopening of Englewood Beach Park and Port Charlotte Beach complex, ravaged by hurricanes Ian, Idalia, Helene and Milton, will be revealed during the Board of Charlotte County Commissioners’ June 17 workshop.
At the last Board of County Commissioners meeting, Chair Joe Tiseo said he wants at least a portion of the parking area at Englewood Beach reopened soon. It has been a popular Gulf beach park for residents and visitors alike and is touted by the county’s tourism bureau in its marketing campaigns.

Community Services Director Tommy Scott said he will present an Englewood Beach Park update at the workshop and will list the repairs to be completed by June 23. Englewood Beach Park’s reopening has been jump-started by the county’s advancement of $350,000 from reserves to fund initial repairs.

Among the improvements slated for completion next week will be sidewalks south of the roundabout providing ADA compliant facilities and access, parking bumpers and ADA signage, fencing, and temporary restroom amenities.

Workers are currently finishing concrete and curbing work on the northern end, after which asphalt work will begin. Once work is finished at the northern end, it will reopen and the southern end of the beach park will be closed for similar repairs.

But a timeline has not been determined for the reopening of the restroom building which served as a changing area for beachgoers, site lighting which was torn apart from the storms, boardwalk replacement after its destruction and removal, and playground repairs. While the beach itself was never closed, structures and the parking areas were destroyed, damaged and littered with debris, so parking and access to the beach has been limited.

A shuttle service running between Trigali Park to Chadwick Park has been providing Saturday service for visitors to Englewood Beach due to its 25 initial parking spaces when there were more than 300 prior to Hurricane Ian. There are now 76 spaces at Englewood Beach Park and Chadwick Beach Park across the street, and when work concludes, there will be 349 parking spaces, Scott said.

The Port Charlotte Beach Park complex is not slated for a full reopening until the fall of 2028, as the county awaits Federal Emergency Management Agency and insurance funding.

Members of the public have been attending Commission meetings, urging commissioners to reopen the beach parks as soon as possible. Some residents living in the Buena Vista neighborhood near Port Charlotte Beach Park, told commissioners they bought their homes there in order to enjoy the park’s facilities and beach.

Weddings, parties and other events were staged in the rec center, and it was a popular gathering place for residents and visitors alike. Water aerobics and other activities were centered around the pool.

But after damages from the storms, most of the Port Charlotte Beach Park’s amenities were either destroyed or damaged, including the recreation building, pool, pavilion, restroom, bathhouse, boat and kayak ramps, picnic tables, bocce and volleyball areas and playground. The beachfront on the Peace River was also heavily eroded, but the park has since been partially reopened.

In addition to Port Charlotte Beach Park, other recovery projects underway are at Ainger Creek Park, Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park, Lemon Bay Sunrise Rotary Park, McGuire Park and Rotonda Park whose total cost is estimated at $12,195,315.48.

The BOCC workshop June 17 begins at 9 a.m. at 18500 Murdock Circle, Port Charlotte in room 119. The meeting is open to the public, but there will be no public comment.