State Park remains closed

Local State Parks saw varying degrees of damage from Hurricane Milton, including structures and access. The Barrier Island Parks Society is focusing recovery on making these locations more resilient for future hurricane seasons.

“An engineer from Atlantic Engineering has been out to both the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse & Museum and the Range Light for initial inspections,” said Sharon McKenzie, executive director of Barrier Island Parks Society. 

The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse & Museum will need to be dug out, but the engineer initially feels that there is no structural damage.

Crews locally are working to clear out the parking areas of the Gasparilla Island State Park. All of the state parks on Gasparilla Island are closed, including access areas at the Range Light and at Port Boca Grande. 

The Beacon reached out to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection multiple times about state park statuses but had not received a comment at press time. The Beacon first reached out Wednesday, Oct. 23 and followed up Oct. 30. Questions for the state include what might be a timetable for reopening, are there interim measures for partial reopening and what needs to be done from a state perspective.

Some structures are worse than others.

“Amory Chapel was probably one of the worst hit structures on island. The chapel was buried in the dune and all of the furniture inside was blown to the east side of the building,” McKenzie said. Her desk was even blown out of the building entirely.

“The ceiling and roof are in good shape, but it will need to be excavated delicately as there are significant cracks in the walls. Because of this, the inside and outside of the building will need to be dug out simultaneously,” McKenzie said.

The Range Light does not appear to be listing like it was after Hurricane Ian. However, some of the beams are loose and need to be tightened or replaced. Additionally, pavers, irrigation, electrical boxes and vegetation will need to be replaced. “Currently, it is safe to climb and walk around, but both lighthouses and the chapel are closed,” McKenzie said.

A Lidar scan, or Light Detection and Ranging scan, will be completed using laser pulses to create a 3D model to further assess any damage.

Range Light repairs will be costly. The Florida Lighthouse Association has provided emergency funds for the engineer and the scans. However, the Parks Society is also accepting donations (see the bottom of this story for the link to donate).

Stump Pass is also closed, and Don Pedro needs “a lot of demo,” McKenzie said.

Cayo Costa had the least amount of new damage as there was not much that was repaired since Hurricane Ian. The amount of work that had been completed was fine.

Donate to the Barrier Island Parks Society at bips.org/donate.

A story on the State Park concession at Don Pedro here.

Photos by BIPS, Dusty and Matthew