Englewood Airport Reopens Months After Hurricane Ian: Sarasota County

ENGLEWOOD, FL — A southern Sarasota County airport reopened Wednesday after Hurricane Ian’s devastating hit to the area.

Buchan Airport in Englewood served as a debris management site after the powerful storm ravaged the Gulf Coast at the end of September, according to a news release from the county.

The site allowed the county’s debris contractors to stage and volume reduce vegetative storm debris collected from southern areas of unincorporated Sarasota County in the months following the hurricane.

The county’s debris contractors are in the final stages of removing the remaining debris and beginning site restoration, which won’t impact aircraft activities.

Throughout the process, Buchan Airport has been assessed by Sarasota County Solid Waste, Sarasota County Public Works, Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, Florida Department of Transportation Airport Inspection and Safety, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Rothenbach Park and portions of Englewood Sports Complex parking lots remain closed as these sites continue to serve as debris management sites, the county said.

The ESC facility is open with access limited to Pine Street.