Panama City Marina closed indefinitely after Hurricane Michael damage

Nov. 02--PANAMA CITY -- The Panama City Marina is closed indefinitely due to significant damage from Hurricane Michael.

Boats, wooden piers, the seawall in certain areas and marina store were damaged, said Jared Jones, the assistant city manager in Panama City. It's currently too early to tell when the marina will reopen, said Jones.

"Right now insurance companies are working with vessel owners to pull boats out," said Jones. "There's an environmental concern with the fuel and oil in the water. We're working with state and national agencies to get it cleaned up."

Jones said the damage is hard to take in and the marina has "lost all functionality." Work is also being done to remove debris. The marina is fenced off to prevent people from walking through.

"I'd encourage people not to go visit it until it's safe," said Jones. "Let that process take place before they set foot on it. I know people want to look and take a deep breath. It's a nice part of our city to take a relaxing moment at but its just not safe.

However, Jones said the wreckage gives the city an opportunity to improve the marina.

"It's a tragedy what happened, not just for the marina but for our community as a whole," said Jones. "Our community as a whole will never look the same but the silver lining is that there will be a lot of grant money--federal and state--to mitigate these hazards in the future. Maybe looking though that lens gives us a lot of opportunity for the marina."

A revenue loss is expected with the Panama City Marina, which operates on funds generated. Emergency reserve funds are expected to cover operations for a few months.

Another marina, though, was shown a bit more mercy by Hurricane Michael.

"The St. Andrews Marina fared a little bit better," said Jones. "But there were vessels and docks damaged there."

The St. Andrews Marina store is open after taking minor damage and has taken in a bit of salvaged inventory. Commercial vessels are also operating at the St. Andrews Marina.

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