Crews showed up early Monday morning to start removing sunken boats from the Laishley Park Municipal Marina.
They showed up around 8 a.m. to begin work, but the weather put a bit of a damper on their plans, causing them to hold off on the work until it cleared up. Punta Gorda Vice Mayor Greg Julian said it is up to the contractor and the weather on when work will officially begin.
The removal of the boats marks a milestone in recovery from Hurricane Milton. Storm surge from the hurricane lifted the boats from the marinas and dropped them onto the docks and pilings.
Ron Mellion from Punta Gorda showed up early, hoping to see the work start.
"We're going to have more hurricanes," Mellion said. "Maybe if they left the boats there, they would move, uproot themselves during the hurricane."
Four boats, including a 30-foot yacht, will be removed.
Part of the parking lot will be blocked off by a fence as the work begins. The work will last about two weeks.
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