'Very positive': El Jobean Fishing Pier to reopen in six months following fire

After the El Jobean Fishing Pier caught fire and was forced to close temporarily on May 28, Charlotte County officials tell Fox 4 the pier will reopen in six months.

Fire investigators said approximately 100 feet of the wooden pier was damaged by the fire, and although they can’t be certain, it's suspected that the cause of the fire was a mishandled cigarette.

Watch Fox 4's Charlotte County Community Correspondent Alex Orenczuk report an update on repairs to the El Jobean Fishing Pier after it caught fire in late May:

Since the fire, the pier has been closed. Lonne Moore, Charlotte County Community Services Project Manager, said there is now a plan to reopen the pier.

“For the design process, we’re looking at about four months,” said Moore. “Then, without any hiccups in that process, we should get it out into construction and hopefully be back in business in about six months.”

Moore told Fox 4 Giffels Webster Engineers will be handling the design of the pier repairs, which will cost approximately $30,000. However, it's not clear how much construction is.

The pier was once a railroad track and has been there for over a century. It's become a favorite fishing spot for many anglers in the area. Moore said the county is trying to fix the pier as quickly as they can, knowing how popular it is for recreational fishing.

Alex Orenczuk.

“We don't like things shut down, we want to keep our amenities open,” said Moore. “Especially something like this because it's a unique property, it's over 100 years old. When you get into these old railroad tracks that are turned into fishing piers, they are important to the community. Everybody around here loves them, it's generational and people have been coming here for ages, and we understand that. We understand the court of public opinion and what's important to them and we try to give them what they want.”

Roy Marques told Fox 4 he fished at the pier twice a day before the fire, and even bought a house in the area to be closer to it. He said he’s found other places to fish for the time being, but he, and others, have begun to miss his favorite spot at the El Jobean Fishing Pier.

“We’re definitely feeling it,” said Marques. “In the first two weeks of the incident I really didn't pay much mind to it. I said ‘you know what, I can live without it’. I'll be honest with you, in the past few weeks it's been really beating down on me. I really want to get back fishing because without this there's not many places we can go for this type of action.”

Roy Marques.

Marques said he’s excited to know the county is working to return his favorite fishing spot.

“I'm very glad because they have that six month timeline, that's very reassuring,” said Marques. “And I know we're in the midst of hurricane season and a lot of things can change but with that six month timeline, that’s honestly a very positive thing to hear.”