Where do you put the boat? This fall, a lunch run across Charlotte Harbor depends on the answer more than the menu does. Since Helene and Milton came through two weeks apart in 2024, the city's tables have come back faster than its tie-ups. If you plan the dock first, the day goes much better.
You can see the gap from the water. At Fishermen's Village, one of the harbor's most visible new dining rooms opened this summer, while the marina below it still isn't renting slips. A mile or so up the shoreline, the city marina is open again, but at a fraction of its old size and with rules that change how you come alongside.
The new dining at Fishermen's Village is open. The marina underneath it isn't renting slips yet.
Latitude 26° opened to the public on June 29 in the second-floor space that used to be Captain's Table. Its owner, Tidewater Hospitality Group, rebuilt the 12,000-square-foot room so that nearly every seat looks out on Charlotte Harbor. A live feed from harbor cameras plays on a monitor above the bar. Downstairs, in the former Harpoon Harry's space, the same group planned Castaways for late July as a casual open-air bar and grill inspired by the activity along the pier. Both now carry a "NOW OPEN!" banner on the Fishermen's Village dining page.
The marina page tells a different story. It says the fuel dock is open every day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. but slip rentals "are not yet available as we await repairs from Hurricane Damage." The page also says nothing about tying up just for a meal. Normally this is a marina of more than one hundred slips, with at least 90 percent of its docking open to the public first-come, first-served. For now, you can drive to Castaways' dockside tables, but you can't count on parking a boat beside them. If you want to check the fuel dock before you go, the marina page links a live camera run by King Fisher Fleet.
The places taking boats this fall, and what each one asks of you
These are the spots where the business or the marina itself says you can arrive by water. None of them publishes a restaurant-only day-dock policy, so call ahead every time.
| Stop | Where | What's posted about boats |
|---|---|---|
| Laishley Park Municipal Marina, next to Laishley Crab House | 120 Laishley Court, Peace River side | 61 operational slips, side-tie only; posted daily rate of $2.50 per foot |
| TT's Tiki Bar | 33 Tamiami Trail | Website says "several spaces on our dock" |
| Riviera Bar & Grill | 5500 Deltona Drive | Arrival coordinates posted; asks boaters to call 941-639-2633 |
| Cass Cay Restaurant & Bar via Safe Harbor Burnt Store | 3200 Matecumbe Key Road | Marina lists transient slips; check-in after 1 p.m., check-out before 11 a.m. |
| Fishermen's Village | West Retta Esplanade | Fuel dock open; slip rentals paused |
| Sunseeker Resort | Across the Peace River | FAQ says the resort is not boat accessible |
TT's Tiki Bar on Tamiami Trail invites guests to "bring the boat," and its posted hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Riviera Bar & Grill posts its arrival point at 26.888362, -82.053196 instead of describing its dock. It asks boaters to call for current conditions, which is the right first step for any stop on this list.
Burnt Store works on different terms. Cass Cay is open to the public, from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. on Sunday. The way in by boat is through Safe Harbor Burnt Store's transient slips, which the marina lists next to its waterside restaurant. Those slips run on overnight check-in and check-out times, so this stop suits a planned overnight trip better than a quick lunch run.
Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor is the biggest building on the far bank, and its dining outlets are open to non-guests. Its FAQ says, "we are not boat accessible at this time," and describes a marina as a future plan. That FAQ dates from 2025, so check whether anything has changed. Either way, plan to drive there.
Laishley is open again, at well under its old size
Laishley Park Municipal Marina has reopened after Helene and Milton closed it nearly two years ago. It runs on temporary repairs allowed under a Temporary Use Agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and those repairs stay in place until permanent reconstruction begins. That start date hasn't been set. City Manager Melissa Reichert said 61 slips are operating, as reported by Gulfshore Business. The Boater's Restrooms and showers, the boat ramp and the Day Room have also reopened. The city's own marina page describes year-round capacity for 142 vessels. That puts today's working footprint at less than half of what the marina was built to hold.
How you dock has changed too. Dockmaster Amanda Wood said the finger docks were damaged badly enough that every boat has to side-tie. Have fenders and lines rigged for coming alongside before you round the point, not after. The city's posted daily rate is $2.50 per foot with a 20-foot minimum, and all rental rates are subject to 7 percent state sales tax. For a 24-foot bay boat, that works out to $60 before tax and $64.20 after. Leasing a slip takes more. You apply in person with ID, the vessel's registration and proof of $1 million in liability insurance, and leases go first-come, first-served. As of Sept. 2, 39 of 72 slips were available, or 43 percent occupancy. The 61 and 72 counts in that same report don't match, so ask the dockmaster for the current number.
Laishley Crab House sits beside the marina on the Peace River with an outdoor deck. It's the most direct boat-to-table pairing on the city shoreline right now, as long as you treat the slip as a city rental. The restaurant doesn't publish a separate diner dock. The marina's fishing pier is still closed in evaluation and permitting, and Reichert estimated construction will take about a year once permits are issued.
The marina approved for the old hotel site is designed for canal-sized boats
The next real change in where a Punta Gorda boater can tie up is planned at 300 West Retta Esplanade. On Aug. 26, City Council voted 4-0 to approve a special permit for a 62-slip marina next to the 5-acre site where the Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel stood before it was demolished. Plans call for fixed and floating docks, a fishing pier and a breakwater. Presenters told council that pump-out, water and electricity are part of the design.
"We are a marine town, we're a maritime city, so this will help reestablish that." Councilwoman Janis Denton, as reported by WINK News
Two details from the hearing matter most to canal-home boaters. Derek Rooney, the property owner's attorney, said the marina is currently planned for day docks. Phil LeBoutillier of Fort Myers-based Stokes Marine, the builder, said it was designed for shallow-draft boats drawing about 2 feet. Those are the bay boats, center consoles and pontoons kept behind homes in Punta Gorda Isles. A day dock is the missing piece in this fall's map. The city has asked for the marina to be gated.
The timeline is tight. The roughly $4 million marina was slated to start construction in October and finish by year-end. LeBoutillier told council that the Army Corps of Engineers permit expires Jan. 2, 2027, and that the agency would not grant an extension. As of early October, there's no published report that work has started, so treat the year-end date as a target. A 160-room hotel is still planned for the land side. Rooney has said current market conditions don't support another hotel yet and that standalone marine facilities could come first.
Before you leave the canal
The route out of the Isles is also still being repaired. The city reported 1,225 cubic yards dredged from Mako Canal, between Banyan Point and Great Isaac Court. Dredging at Bass and Snook inlets is pending, with no schedule yet from the marine contractor. A short checklist for a fall lunch run:
- Call the restaurant or dockmaster before you leave. Riviera asks for it directly, and no stop on the harbor publishes a diner-only tie-up rule.
- At Laishley, rig fenders for a side-tie and bring cash or a card for the per-foot daily rate plus 7 percent tax.
- At Fishermen's Village, plan on fuel only. Slip rentals are paused, and the marina lists dockside depths as shallow as 3.5 feet at mean low water.
- For Burnt Store, book a transient slip and plan around the 1 p.m. check-in.
- Drive to Sunseeker. Its posted guidance says it doesn't take boats.
The canals get their own night soon. The Saturday Night Before Christmas Eve Boat Parade sails Dec. 19, 2026, at 6 p.m., with the start time subject to updates. Its 4-mile route has no bridges and stays inside the protected waters of the Punta Gorda Isles canal system. If the West Retta docks are finished on schedule, the end of the parade season could also bring the first new day-dock option on the downtown waterfront since the storms.
At Waterfront Lifestyle Group, we keep track of which docks are working, how deep the canals run and when slips come back, because that's what owning a gulf-access home here comes down to. If you're weighing what your canal home and dock are worth while the harbor rebuilds, we'd be glad to walk you through a waterfront valuation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
