PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — The removal process is starting for boats that washed up or sank at the Laishley Park Marina in Punta Gorda during Hurricane Milton. Part of the parking lot will be closed for the next several days as demolition begins June 2.
The boats at Laishley Marina have stood as a reminder of Hurricane Milton's destruction since it made landfall in October. The hurricane's storm surge lifted the boats from the marina, dropping them onto the docks and pilings.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk explain the process of the boat removal at Liashley Park Marina:
Unlike the boats that washed into Gilchrist Park, the ones at Laishley Park are still there. Now, the city says the battle to remove them is over, and work is starting to get them out.
"The process began a long time ago, its very bureaucratic and its taken much longer than most of us would have cared for but we're excited to see these damaged boats out of here so we can start the road to recovery on our marina," said Greg Julian, Vice-Mayor of Punta Gorda.
The city says part of the Laishley Park parking lot will be fenced off while the boats are removed and demolished starting on Monday.
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