Harts Landing, a longtime fishing and waterfront spot in Sarasota, remains heavily damaged nearly a year after being hit by a hurricane.
The bait shop is set for demolition, and the piers are broken and unusable.
Although funding is available, rebuilding is stalled due to a complex approval process involving the Florida Department of Transportation, the City of Sarasota, and other agencies.
“It’s heartbreaking and infuriating that it’s going so slow,” said Sherman Baldwin, the operator of Harts Landing. “I’m not blaming anyone, but the process is holding things up.”
Reopening could take up to five years, or may not happen at all.
Plans for the rebuild include hurricane-resistant features, floating docks that can be removed before storms, and raising the site by 13 feet to reduce flood risk.
