COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — The last beach to remain closed in Collier County will not open until at least early 2024, according to the Collier County government.
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Barefoot Beach was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. The Parks & Recreation Department provided the following information to NBC2 News:
Our crews are working hard to get the North Barefoot Beach Parking Area safe and re-opened. This location (5901 Bonita Beach Road) is on track to be opened in the next 2-3 weeks.
The North Barefoot Beach has a parking lot with 90 available spaces and a direct walkout to the beach. We have also staged temporary restrooms at this location.
The remainder of Barefoot Beach Preserve received very severe damage and will require a full restoration project before it can be reopened.
Nearly all of the boardwalks and beach accesses were totally destroyed, all of the major electrical and plumbing systems were compromised, roadways and parking areas were undermined and much of the facility was buried in a mixture of sand and debris.
Based on the necessary timeline to engage in the design, local and state permitting, environmental restoration and construction, we project this facility will not open until early 2024.
NBC2 News was not provided access to the Park despite numerous requests to the County. All roads to get to the beach access points are also closed.
This is an ongoing story. Count on NBC2 for more information as it comes into our newsroom.
The post Barefoot Beach to remain closed until 2024 appeared first on NBC2 News.
