CHARLOTTE COUNTY
As Charlotte County cleans up the debris from Hurricane Ian and power returns to the county, a number of services that were disrupted by the storm are being restored.
Returning services include Charlotte County Transit. Charlotte County Transit is a curb-to-curb ride sharing service provided to the general public throughout the county. The service area includes all of Charlotte County and the unincorporated portion of Charlotte County in Englewood, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and surrounding areas, including Lake Suzy, some of DeSato County.
To place an order, you can call 941-575-4000. Reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis. The reservation line is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., with limited hours on Saturdays.
The county Department of Community Development’s phone line has been restored and the department will resume building inspections on Wednesday.
Inspections scheduled before the hurricane have been canceled and will have to be rescheduled. Before rescheduling the inspection, the department asks that you visit the workplace to make sure it is ready for inspection. For more information, call 941-743-1201.
The Charlotte County Department of Community Development is following the Department of Professional Business Regulation’s Declaration of Emergency in the wake of Hurricane Jan. This makes it so that certified and registered contractors are not required to subcontract roofing work in the county.
Structures with roof damage do not require a permit for criticism. The same is true for roof damage less than 100 square feet. A roof that has damage to rafters, trusses or structural elements requires a reconstruction permit obtained by the contractor.
The county says if an existing roof was installed before March 1, 2009 and more than 25% of the roofing is damaged, the entire roofing will need to be replaced. If the existing roofing was installed after that date, the owner could choose to repair only the damaged area.
Among the places in the county affected by the hurricane was the Charlotte County Jail. The county says the jail suffered no major damage, but experienced minor flooding and electrical and water issues.
The county says the jail’s phone system is currently down and is working on an emergency solution to allow inmates to communicate with their families. Until then, the prison collects numbers from detainees and uses staff to call the numbers provided to establish a communication method.
While some services are returning to normal, the county remains under a curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., and a county-wide boil water advisory is in effect.
Charlotte County Emergency Management Director Patrick Fuller held a press conference Tuesday to provide an update on recovery efforts in the county. You can see the update on by clicking here or in the player below.
