HERNANDO BEACH, Fla. — Frustrations are mounting over a marina that has remained closed since Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Customers of the Blue Pelican Marina say they have not received any information from owners or management about their stored boats, with phone calls and messages left unanswered.

What You Need To Know

  • Customers of Blue Pelican Marina say they are frustrated by a lack of communication when it comes to reclaiming their boats

  • Blue Pelican has remained closed since Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged the property
  • Boats have remained behind locked gates and communication with the marina's management, customers say, has been non-existent

It’s a problem that has some customers thinking of getting the law involved.

Outside the Blue Pelican Marina on Hernando Beach, Jerry Ficca searches for his boat.

“It was put right here at the end inside the barn on the bottom," says Ficca. "That’s where it used to sit. And, as you can see, it’s not there.”

Since Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the marina has sat closed, with boats behind locked gates. It is a frustrating turn of events for customers like Ficca.

“Ever since that time, suddenly everything just stopped," Ficca said. "They emptied the stuff out here from inside the store and then all communication ceased to exist.”

Ficca has been storing his boat at the marina, he says, since 2020. He said he has never had an issue until now. Ficca says this has forced him to question the marina’s motives.

“What we’re doing is we’re asking for Blue Pelican Marina to step up and resolve this issue by having the accountability and developing a communication channel so that people know what’s going on — so we can re-establish some trust here in the community,” says Brian Brijbag, an attorney with Brijbag Law.

It’s a breach of contract, Ficca says, that has prompted him to hire an attorney.

“They’ve breached that contract and now they’ve refused access to the boats, so now what am I supposed to do?" he said. "I prepaid them over $3,000 for a year worth of storage in use and I’ve got over six months where I’ve not been able to use my boat. That’s why we have to get attorneys, because these people are not responding.”

Ficca said he hopes to settle the matter soon, so that he can get out on his boat once again.

Spectrum Bay News 9 has reached out to Blue Pelican Marina for comment, but has not received a response.