Hotel, marina planned for Punta Gorda waterfront site

The attorney representing the owner of the now-demolished Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel & Suites told the city’s Code Enforcement Board that his client plans to build a marina at the rear of the property and a smaller hotel at 300 W. Retta Esplanade. 

Derek Rooney appeared before the board May 21 to represent Amer Asmar, owner of Punta Gorda AA Hotel LLC, for code violations tied to the vacant parcel. 

Previously, the city ordered Asmar to remove the remaining parking surface and lighting and to resod or reseed exposed soil left after demolition of the former hotel and adjacent restaurant. 

The recent order came after the owner failed to respond to more recent notices for the same violations. 

Rooney said Asmar was previously planning to rebuild but halted those plans when Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor struggled financially. He said Asmar reasoned that if the 785-room resort was having difficulty, it would be better to wait before building a hotel. After Blackstone Real Estate acquired the resort and it rebranded under Hilton’s Curio Collection, and performance appeared to improve, Asmar decided to move forward with new plans that include a marina and a smaller hotel rather than the two hotels he proposed more than a year ago. 

Rooney pleaded guilty on behalf of his client to the violations for failing to remove the remaining parking surface and lighting and to resod the exposed soil. He agreed to pay $4,550 in fines, representing $50 a day for 91 days from Feb. 19 to May 20, plus $80.96 in additional case costs. 

Rooney has appeared before the board on other occasions to represent Asmar and has previously pleaded guilty on his client’s behalf and agreed to pay fines. 

Last October, he told the board that an underground drainage system lies beneath the site, installed and paid for by the former hotel’s ownership. Removing that system, along with the paved surface, would cost about $250,000. 

The issue came up again at the May 21 meeting when Public Works Director Ron Everts confirmed there is an underground storm drainage system that would be advantageous for new construction and that removing the asphalt would compromise the system. 

Asmar is under a deadline because his submerged land lease with the state expires this summer, and the Army Corps of Engineers requires that work be completed by next year, Rooney said. 

Rooney had a preapplication meeting with the city and indicated they will be filing permits soon. 

The marina will be built first. The planned hotel will be smaller than the Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel & Suites, which was damaged by Hurricane Ian in September 2022 and closed. The adjoining restaurant, Hurricane Charley’s Raw Bar & Grill, reopened after repairs but later closed permanently after suffering irreparable damage from Hurricane Idalia in August 2023. Both structures were demolished soon after.