“Sheds and Portable Pots”: Debris Cleanup of Charlotte County Waterways Continues After Yang

PORT CHARLOTT, Florida. It’s been nearly five months since Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida, and crews in Charlotte County continue to clear waterways. Over the next two weeks, workers will be climbing down the boat ramp in Port Charlotte to pick up trash.

They will be unloading trash at the South Gulf Cove Park boat ramp until March 11th. This is a sight that Joan Belviso is happy to see after being out of water for some time.

“We haven’t launched our boat for a couple of months,” she said.

They live nearby and say there is a 55 mile waterway in the area that flows into the Myakka River. Belviso recently saw the Broward County Sheriff’s Office with sonar, looking at debris in the water.

“The barges have been going through the last couple of days to our house and they brought a lot of stuff,” Belviso said. “Trees, branches, lots of rubbish from sheds and portable pots and the like.”

Charlotte County completed onshore debris cleanup and began work on waterways on November 1st. However, the county’s website states that the Florida Department of Emergency Management has taken over the cleanup of the water, though it’s not clear why.

There may have been some delays and slow movement of boats at the boat ramp while unloading debris.

“We really hope that everything will return to normal,” Belviso said.