Charlotte County commissioners discuss future of fishing pier at Bayshore Live Oak Park

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)—Charlotte County commissioners discussed the future of Bayshore Live Oak Park's east fishing pier Tuesday morning, exploring cost-effective options to rebuild the structure that has been closed since Hurricane Helene.

Commissioners were presented with several options and moved forward with exploring a heavy timber wood design for the boardwalk, which could be more cost-effective than concrete while still providing the possibility for better elevation.

Frank Hommema, owner of Fishin' Franks, has been fishing at the park since 1980. He said the hurricane's impact was devastating for the community.

"It was a dramatic loss to the fishing community, but it was, and a kind of an emotional loss to a lot of people because they don't have somewhere to go," Hommema said.

Hommema emphasized the importance of the park beyond just catching fish.

"People don't realize they think of fishing as catching fish and doing all that, but it has a lot to do with mental health and stress relief," Hommema said.

Hommema supports the commissioners' decision to explore the heavy timber wood design.

"It's going to be stronger, less expensive than any of the other ones, and get us back into piers faster. But I think it's the most cost-effective, beneficial way of doing it. I say a lot of bad things about the commissioners, but they got that one right. They really did," Hommema said.

What Hommema is looking forward to the most is seeing the pier as what it once was.

"When you're all stressed out and the world's just treating you badly, and you could just walk out on the pier and cast for a while, and maybe even catch a fish," Hommema said.

The detailed timeline of the pier's reconstruction is still in progress.