The Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage is ready to restore its headquarters — the historic Fishermen’s Hall, 4511 124th St. W., Cortez.
The former church has served as a community gathering space for more than a century and is an anchor for the nonprofit’s mission to preserve Cortez’s working waterfront.
Once known as the Church of God, the building stands at the center of the village. According to board members, over the years it has been patched together with various additions and repairs, many of which now need to be removed or replaced after the structure sustained damage during hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
During a June 2 meeting at the Cortez Village Historical Society Center, a temporary meeting site, the board discussed the restoration. The scope of work includes removing the siding down to the studs, replacing damaged plywood and covering the building with cement board.
FISH board member Dave Cadmus said, “There’s roofing that needs to happen. There’s siding — and it’s kind of a mishmash of stuff added over the years.”
FISH treasurer Jan von Hahmann recently solicited bids from contractors for the siding removal and replacement. The bids received were:
- Bayshore Exterior: $45,953;
- Excel Exteriors: $47,213;
- West Coast Exteriors: $104,228.
While all the quotes include removal and replacement of the building’s siding, Cadmus said the highest quote from West Coast Exteriors was more expensive because it included work to remove potentially hazardous materials, such as lead and asbestos.
“We know that we took apart that building from the inside before, so anything (hazardous) that was there was removed. So we don’t anticipate having that extra charge,” he said.
Some of the bids also included work already covered under a separate roofing contract.
To reduce costs, the board tasked Cadmus with meeting with vendors.