The Herald Court Centre is a staple in Punta Gorda.
However, businesses that use the city-owned building are still shut down weeks after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“For business owners trying to survive, and this is our living, and our passion is business, hearing people say, ‘Maybe we’ll address that next month,’ was just shocking and devastating,” said Owner of The Refindery Market Dawn Viggiano.
Victoria ScottViggiano rents space out of the building.
She told FOX 4’s Victoria Scott the biggest reason she can’t re-open is because the city didn’t put up its floodgates before Helene.
You can watch Victoria’s full report here:
Herald Court Centre still shut weeks after hurricanes
“The result was two feet of water – dirty, murky water within our businesses,” she said.
So, Victoria started asking the city questions. She went to the assistant city manager to ask about the floodgates.
“They were not put up before Hurricane Helene because we did not anticipate that that hurricane was going to be a direct hit,” said Punta Gorda Assistant City Manager Melissa Reichert.