Cortez’s Florida Maritime Museum remains far from reopening, and Manatee County officials acknowledge that restoration efforts have fallen behind schedule following extensive damage from last year’s hurricanes.
The county-operated museum, 4415 119th St. W., “collects, preserves, and shares knowledge, artifacts, and stories specific to Florida’s fishing and maritime heritage.”
The museum is housed in a 1912 schoolhouse purchased through the Florida Communities Trust Preservation program. It is closed for rehabilitation work, although the FMM continues to offer activities on the grounds and programs in partnership with other organizations and institutions.
In an Oct. 16 email to The Islander, the county said design plans for the restoration are about 30% complete, addressing long-term deterioration and storm damages from Debbie, Helene and Milton in 2024.
Full construction documents are expected by late spring 2026 or early summer, with construction tentatively scheduled to finish by late 2027.
County Commissioner Tal Siddique, R-District 3, has pushed to make the project a priority. He told The Islander Oct. 16, “There are nine tasks as part of the effort to restore and reopen the maritime museum. As I understand it, they are at task three, which is not far at all.”
The restoration schedule outline, with the nine milestones, totals 573 calendar days: 20 days for inspections, seven days for mold abatement recommendations, 45 days for schematic design, 60 days each for design development and construction documents, 60 days for bidding and permitting, 270 days for construction administration and 30 for closeout. Grant writing is listed as ongoing.
According to Siddique, the county has completed initial inspections and mold abatement, leaving the structure “in stable condition.”
The current schematic-design phase, expected to take about 45 days from Sept. 4, focuses on a new waterproof roof membrane and replacing insulation damaged by flooding.
“The water damage was certainly severe, especially to the floors, because the water rose from the bottom, too,” Siddique said, referring to flooding during Helene.
With the project only now in its third task, more than a year after that storm, Siddique said completion remains a long way off.
“The project from start to finish was going to take 573 days,” he said. “Now, if we’re on schematic design — we’re still at the beginning of this, unfortunately.”
Siddique estimated total costs at $6 million-$8 million, including deferred maintenance and storm repairs. Most funding will come from FEMA reimbursement, which can take up to three years to arrive, while the county relies on a line of credit to cover costs in the meantime.
Meanwhile, supporters say the prolonged closure has hurt fundraising and slowed public engagement.
Karen Bell, owner of A.P. Bell Fish Co. and a founding member of the Friends of the Florida Maritime Museum, said it has been difficult to sustain support for a museum the public can’t visit.
“It sure seems crazy to have it shut down for years,” Bell said. “What it offers is a lot — culturally, people enjoy it. And if that’s what we’re trying to do, educate people in a thoughtful manner, that’s a great way to do it.”
“I’m not comfortable going out and asking people to help support it when you can’t even get into the building,” she added.
Siddique said he hopes renewed attention from residents and commissioners will help accelerate the process.
“Cortez is going to be in the spotlight for quite some time,” he said. “We’ve got a new bridge coming, and I’d like to make sure it’s in a good light — and not in a bad one.”
Gee, the old school house had no major damage from the 1921 flood of the Great Hurricane and is now endangered by the county’s scheduling and restoration work, tells us just how we’ve progressed after all these years, looks like we’re going backwards doesn’t it.