Blue Angels Air Show 2021: Pensacola Beach businesses ready for crowds
pnj.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pnj.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show 2021: Live updates on Friday
pnj.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pnj.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
/
Six months after being damaged by Hurricane Sally and just days before they were to be placed back into service, Pensacola’s ferries will remain docked for now.
Scheduled to resume this weekend, the service has been put on hold once again. Joe Asebedo, the general manager of Pensacola Bay Cruises, says they’re awaiting the last piece of the puzzle – Coast Guard approval.
“We’ve gone through all the safety inspections; through all the safety system inspections, seaworthiness inspections that the Coast Guard has done,” Asebedo said. “Those have all passed; the crew has been tested, those have passed. We’re ready to go but it’s really been just a small amount of paperwork that’s taken a little bit longer than anticipated.”
The operator of the Pensacola to Pensacola Beach ferry service says despite delay after delay in fixing the boats post-Hurricane Sally, the service could return as soon as next week to help alleviate traffic congestion on the Garcon Point Bridge.
The ferry service, which in previous years has been largely used by tourists to venture between downtown and the beach, is touted as a possible stopgap option for frustrated commuters whose daily drive has increased sometimes to hours long with the ongoing closure of the Pensacola Bay Bridge.
But, the ferries have had their own problems with hurricane damage to the boats, damage to the docks, and a lack of interim funding by the Florida Department of Transportation to offer financial relief for the potential commuters who would use the service.