2 October 2024 – The Ferry slip has been repaired and the Ferry is back in the water! The beach dock and remaining boardwalk are mostly intact and can be utilized. A new set of steps will be constructed on the end of the remaining boardwalk down to the beach. We are hoping all repairs can be completed by the end of October. Once completed, the Trust will put out a call to members who want to help to remove debris (similar to cleanup after Ian). The South Venice Beach is still there, but very different. We will all be enjoying it soon!
1 October 2024 – The Boat Ramp is now open. The parking area remains soft, so please stay on solid areas. Trust members were able to visit the beach yesterday and are developing a boardwalk repair plan. A marine contractor is coming tomorrow to repair the Ferry slip and we are hoping the Ferry will be back in the water shortly after and we’ll charge it. Once the Ferry is operational, we can go over to the beach with the marine contractor safely and they can tell us what is needed to get the dock and boardwalk safe, operational, and how long it will take. The intracoastal has a lot of debris, so we must be cautious. There is no trace of beach livestream equipment. Stay safe!
29 September 2024 – As of Sunday evening, it appears the Ferry and Boat Ramp park is still very soggy. The Trust will keep the park closed until further notice to avoid damage due to truck and car traffic. The park will not reopen Monday.
People have been sending in pictures and videos of the beach and boardwalk. It appears there was extensive damage. The Trust hopes to have the Ferry slip repaired by the end of the week and have the Ferry back in the water. Once that happens, the damage at the beach and to the boardwalk can be evaluated and a repair plan can be developed and implemented. We will continue to use this news post to keep all informed. Here are some pictures and a link to a YouTube video.
27 September 2024 – Trust members, Captains, and volunteers visited the Ferry Dock House today. There was extensive damage to the Dock House caused by Hurricane Helene, and the Ferry could not be returned to its slip. Also, we were unable to visit the beach and inspect the infrastructure. While there, team members cleaned the passenger waiting area, removed extensive debris, including an entire large palm tree that had to be chain sawed and removed. Seating areas were damaged as well. The storm surge reached four feet over the floor area. The Captain’s office, storage room, and restroom were cleaned out. The Trust will need to retain the services of a marine construction contractor to repair the Ferry slip. It is unknown how long this will take, but we will keep all updated on these news posts. The Trust Office will be open Saturday, 28 September 2024.
Team members are making arrangements to get over to the beach to inspect the infrastructure. Hopefully this will happen in the next couple of days. It was obvious from the live cams before they died, that the boardwalk was suffering extensive damage. The condition of the dunes and the beach is unknown, but you can see the Gulf from the mainland now.
The Boat Ramp will, hopefully, reopen on Monday, 30 September 2024. The pump house was destroyed, so there is no water available. Signage was destroyed as well. The parking area is very soggy and needs to dry and firm up before vehicles can pass over it without causing significant ruts. Also, the channel will need to be checked for debris. The Trust has placed keyed locks on the main gate.
Hope all made it through the storm safely and without significant damage. We have included some pictures below.
SVBET Trustees
25 September 2024 The SVBET is preparing for the worst, if it should happen, for Helene. Those who were here for Charlie, in 2005, and Ian in 2022, know that storms are unpredictable and change direction or make landfall over wide areas. As of the writing of this article, the tide is already high and the Ferry has been removed from the water and relocated inland. Thanks to Joe Lewis, Chairman, and Captain Eric and Captain Phil for keeping the Ferry safe! The Ferry and SVBET office is closed until further notice. Please be safe and prepared!
SVBET Trustees
11 Comments
Any news on the beach and the walkway?
Please see the Helene news post.
Thank you all for your efforts. How can we help with cleanup and restoration?
Thank you. At this point, we have not been able to fully evaluate the damage. We expect to have more information this next week. We will put out a call to the membership once we know what needs to be done.
I was wondering the same thing glad you asked…..I would love to assist anyway I could
Thank you! We will put out a call as soon as we know more. People have been sending in pics and even videos.
????…would love to help tend to our beach and ferry house however I can????
Thanks so much. Right now, we have a marine contractor coming on Wednesday to repair the Ferry slip and we are hoping the Ferry will be back in the water shortly after and we’ll charge it. Once the Ferry is operational, we can go over to the beach with the marine contractor safely and they can tell us what is needed to get the dock and boardwalk safe, operational, and how long it will take. The intracoastal has a lot of debris, so we must be cautious.
Thank you!
would love to help tend to our beach and ferry house however I can
Thanks, Tina! There is lots of cleanup to do once we get back into safe operation. We will set something up similar to the cleanup after Ian. Volunteers gathered debris and loaded it on the Ferry. The debris was brought back to the mainland, loaded onto a trailer, and hauled to the landfill. We are still a few weeks away from cleanup and we will let all the members know when it’s time.