JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Homeowners and businesses are still making repairs and filing claims for damage done when Tropical Storm Fay slowly moved through last month. So are the cities of Jacksonville and St. Augustine.
The storm damaged the roofs of Veteran's Memorial Arena, the Performing Arts Center and the Convention Center. An escalator and signage were damaged at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, along with damage from water leaks to luxury suites and other areas of the stadium.
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Facility managers estimate a total of $44,000 in damages to the stadium, which they are rushing to fix before the Jaguars' home opener.
"The things -- the elevators, the signage at the football stadium -- we have been given permission to get all of that done ... on an emergency basis between now and Sunday's game," said Bob Downing of SMG, which manages the sports and entertainment facilities for the city.
Next door at the Baseball Grounds, the scoreboard and other equipment was damaged, along with more water leaks.
The most expensive damage was to the Equestrian Center at Cecil Field, where the main road washed out. It cost $64,000 to repair.
Damage to the arena was estimated at about $55,000, and it's not the first time it has suffered weather damage.
We may go back to the drawing board a little bit with the design people and the city to see if (we can) replace and redo the damage," Downing told Channel 4's Jim Piggott. "Maybe it can be done in a more durable manner than we currently have."
Total damage to all the entertainment complexes: $183,700. The total of damage to city property, including the Jacksonville Beach Pier, is expected to reach $300,000.
St. Augustine Bayfront Damaged The city of St. Augustine says the pounding the Bayfront seawall took from water churned up by Fay did an estimated $89,000 in damage.
The city has plans to repair the damage to a 150-foot portion of the wall.
Both St. Augustine and Jacksonville officials told Channel 4 they were asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse up to 75 percent of the cost of repairs.
St. Johns and Duval are among 37 Florida counties designated to receive public assistance from FEMA under a presidential disaster declaration. Federal funds are available to reimburse emergency response costs and repair or replace damaged facilities.