City offices will return to normal business on Wednesday, September 13, 2017. At this time, streets have been cleared and a majority of the water has receded. Residents should use caution when navigating throughout the City as there may still be standing water, storm debris, and non-working traffic lights. As a reminder, the Charlotte County curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. is still in effect until further notice.

  • At this time Punta Gorda Utility customers are NOT under a boil water notice. 
  • Punta Gorda Billing & Collections will be waiving all late fees that may have occurred due to the storm. For additional questions please email pgcollections@pgorda.us or call 941-639-2528. 
  • City of Punta Gorda Utilities Department customers who experience a loss of water service or sewer issues are asked to call 941-628-4602. 
  • Although City staff has been inspecting the entire canal system, seawall failures can still be reported by emailing pubworks@pgorda.us or by calling Public Works at 941-575-5050. 
  • City will resume sanitation and recycling services on Wednesday, September 13 with regularly scheduled service days. Except for previously scheduled e-waste, there will be no make-up collections for missed days. Sanitation issues can be addressed by emailing pubworks@pgorda.us or by calling Public Works at 941-575-5050. 
  • Storm debris (including vegetation, building and white goods) will be collected separately by our contractor on dates yet to be determined. Additional instructions on how to place these items in the right-of-way can be found here. DO NOT mix piles. DO NOT place debris on vacant lots, near fire hydrants, utility meters, backflow preventers, electrical poles and boxes, or any other permanent structures. 
  • Road signs that are missing or damaged can be reported by emailing pubworks@pgorda.us or by calling Public Works at 941-575-5050. 
  • Permit information or contractor related issues or problems can be reported by calling Building at 941-575-5548. 
  • Business signs that are damaged or missing can be reported by emailing pgcode@pgorda.us or by calling Code Compliance at 941-575-5546. 
  • Charlotte County Mosquito Control will initiate additional treatments due to standing water. 
  • Florida Power Light reports that 60% of residents in Charlotte County have power restored. 
  • City of Punta Gorda and Charlotte County have not identified a need for additional volunteers based on the current damage assessment. We do encourage those interested in volunteering to consider assisting other communities who are in need. Potential volunteers can contact the Volunteer Florida helpline at 1-800-FLHELP1 or go to www.volunteerflorida.org.

Please be patient when calling to report problems or issues as City staff is responding to higher than normal call volumes.

Charlotte County Emergency Management Video Interviews - Post Storm

Howard Kunik, City Manager - https://youtu.be/p4uoUQ5FbaI

Jaha Cummings, Council Member District 1 - https://youtu.be/rQwr2sGRr9k

Linda Sposito, Senior Project Manager - https://youtu.be/vSbBSoe9MBQ

Message From Mayor Rachel Keesling

Hello, I hope you all are safe and starting your personal recovery from this storm. I did participate in this call this evening and it was very productive. FPL CEO spoke for 15 minutes and then opened up the floor for questions.

Highlights of his message:

*First time all 35 counties in their service area have been impacted by a single event

*17,500 units mobilized and moving into 10 staging areas, 1 is our airport

*smart grid, aerial and physical assessments are still taking place but plan for Charlotte County should come Wednesday

*There will be an ongoing contact at our county EOC (Ray knows the guy) 

*There is a specific web portal 

https://www.fpl.com/government.html?cid=aliasgovupdate

Encourage customers to download the FPL app for all current information.

I asked about our damage being more of a downed line situation Instead of  full poles, what does that do to our priority placement versus more severe areas. 

He said that those types jobs require less mobilization so they hope to address those in a timely manner but also consider efficiency.

The "lines" of communication are open so we hope to hear some good news on Wednesday about restoration of our citizens and homes. 

Be safe, RK

Flood Safety After a Disaster

Charlotte County Emergency Management encourages residents to follow some helpful recommendations when dealing with excess stormwater and flood waters in the home. Find additional information at the following links:

Florida Power & Light Links 

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (Sept. 10, 2017) –   Florida, Power & Light (FPL) is mobilized and prepared to respond as soon it is safe to do so. The following link is FPL’s Storm Center: https://www.fpl.com/storm.htm. Citizens can report outages and read some helpful tips to stay safe after the storm. Please take the time now to read these safety tips as you may be experiencing a power outage after the storm and not have the information available to you.

We know citizens are concerned and monitoring their area for power outages. To keep track of, or view, County or statewide outages please utilize FPL’s Power Tracker: http://www.fplmaps.com/

City Prepares for Hurricane Irma

Special Weekly Report

City of Punta Gorda Prepares for Irma