Waterfront parks across Jacksonville are still closed after millions of dollars in damage from Hurricane Irma.
Action News Jax spoke with City Councilman Matt Schellenberg about what he said is causing the repairs to be delayed.
“We just can’t spend money to replace things without getting FEMA money,” said Schellenberg, who represents the city's District 6.
County Dock in Mandarin used to be a way of life for those living in the area.
“It’s just beautiful and peaceful,” neighbor Leah Kosiek said.
“It was always pretty busy,” neighbor Ian Kosiek said.
But now it’s locked up and empty, damaged first by Hurricane Matthew and then hit again by Irma.
Schellenberg represents the area where the closed County Dock sits. It's one of most than a dozen that are partially or completely closed. A list on the city's website shows all the waterfront parks and docks damaged recently by Hurricane Irma.
“I think one of the problems is for 40 years, we never had a hurricane,” Schellenberg said.
At a recent council committee meeting, it was discussed that damage sustained to the docks is estimated to be $7.2 million. Design and inspection phases will help determine whether the docks should be built on taller pylons.
While inspections go on, some docks have opened but still others sit closed, a sight that neighbors hope will soon change.
"It’s definitely a nice place to go and just relax after a long day," Ian Kosiek said.
"Cause we don’t live on the water but we live close enough to walk there so it definitely brought us over here and it’d be nice to experience that again,” Leah Kosiek said.
At the council committee meeting, it was mentioned that bids for repairs will begin in the next couple of weeks. When the work actually will happen remains a question.