Punta Gorda marina advances as hotel plans are paused

Plans for a commercial marina are moving forward at the former Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel site, while a proposed new hotel has been put on hold amid challenging market conditions. 

An attorney representing Amer Asmar, whose company Punta Gorda AA Hotel LLC owned the now-demolished hotel, told the city’s Code Enforcement Board that marina construction will begin once permits are secured. 

The matter is scheduled to go before Punta Gorda City Council on Aug. 26. 

Asmar is under a deadline to build the marina behind 300 W. Retta Esplanade because his submerged land lease with the state expires this summer, and the Army Corps of Engineers requires the work to be completed by next year, attorney Derek Rooney said. 

Plans still call for a smaller, 160-room hotel on the property, although construction has been put on hold. 

Rooney said market conditions do not currently support another hotel, pointing to the financial struggles of the 785-room Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor before its acquisition by Blackstone Real Estate and rebranding under Hilton’s Curio Collection in September 2025. 

Sunseeker lies across the Peace River in Charlotte Harbor from the former Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel site. 

The future of the rest of the 5-acre property remains uncertain. 

Asmar has been talking with Dean Stainton, who leased part of the former hotel complex for Hurricane Charley’s Sushi Raw Bar and Grill. They and others have been exploring temporary uses for the property while it is being cleaned up, Rooney said. 

Zoning official Rachel Barry told the board that temporary structures are prohibited under the city’s land development regulations. 

“Our hopes are that the marina can start construction to get some action going, and there will be conditions added that it cannot be put into use until other improvements are made to the property,” Barry said. 

A marina requires certain upland improvements, she said, including bathrooms, a storm shelter and phones. 

Another possible use for the property is a tiki hut, Rooney said. He also represents Four Points by Sheraton Punta Gorda Harborside, where he said a tiki hut that began as a temporary use is now a permanent structure. 

The former Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel property has remained the subject of city code enforcement since Hurricane Ian severely damaged the hotel in 2022. 

Asmar began accruing fines for code violations after the hurricane and has paid them to date. Rooney, who appears before the Code Enforcement Board monthly to provide updates on the site, said the fines will continue to be paid until the property is cleared and can pass inspection. 

Among the issues has been the city’s requirement that Asmar remove the paved parking surface. Rooney testified in October 2025 that an underground drainage system lies beneath the site and that removing the system along with the paved surface would cost about $250,000. 

The issue surfaced again at the board’s May 21 meeting, when Public Works Director Ron Everts confirmed that an underground storm drainage system remains beneath the property. He said the system would be advantageous for new construction and that removing the asphalt would compromise it. 

Other code violations have included overgrown grass and shrubs and debris on the property. 

The hotel was built in 1968 as a Holiday Inn and later operated as a Best Western before Asmar acquired it. A two-story addition also was added in 1968.