Charlotte County commissioners agreed June 10 to dip into reserve funds to expedite repairs at Englewood Beach, allowing partial reopening of its damaged parking lot rather than waiting on reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Commission Chair Joe Tiseo said the delay in reopening has hurt local businesses, which rely on beachgoer traffic. With limited parking available, nearby restaurants and shops have seen fewer visitors and cut employee hours.

“There’s no reason why we can’t open up the roundabout and close up everything to the north,” Commissioner Bill Truex said. He and Tiseo walked the beach last weekend to assess the damage. Both said the south end of the lot is in better shape than the north and reopening it could allow 60 to 70 more vehicles.

Tiseo said the work could be done in stages by opening the south end while the heavily damaged north end is under construction. When finished, the north end would open, and the south end would be closed for its final repairs.

Commissioners agreed they should not rely on FEMA.

“We’re letting a dysfunctional agency … determine how we recover. I think we should have looked at things through a different prism other than the prism of FEMA,” Tiseo said.

Truex suggested having prioritized work done now and sending the receipts to FEMA.

The commission also agreed the reserve fund must retain enough money for potential hurricane damage this season. So far, the county has allocated $350,000 for Englewood Beach repairs, which include sand sifting, demolition and sidewalk and curb replacement.

Heavy equipment used for sand cleanup damaged curbing and parking areas, and commissioners noted that letting local businesses deposit storm-displaced sand at the beach for processing was a more efficient solution than hauling it inland for sifting.

Still, the initial cleanup left behind smaller debris. Tiseo said he found shards of glass and wood while walking the beach, and Community Services Director Tommy Scott confirmed a beach cleanup has been scheduled.

Repairs are moving quickly. A contractor hired May 28 began work early and had already completed 40% of the job by June 10, Scott said.

Tiseo said he expects the south end of the parking lot to reopen by the weekend of June 21. Additional steps may be decided during the commissioners’ June 17 workshop, which is open to the public but will not include public comment.