TAVARES, Fla. – A big rebuild project on Lake Dora in Tavares is now nearly complete. 

​City leaders hope it’ll attract boaters and seaplanes to boost local business. 

Choppy waters means the perfect time for Jones Brothers Air and Seaplane Adventures to clean up, but this wind was nothing compared to a few years ago.

“To see everything torn up, out of the water, the parking lot full of debris and garbage, it was, I mean it was rough,” said Samual Rowe, a pilot for Jones Brothers Air and Seaplane Adventures.

In 2017, Hurricane Irma destroyed the Tavares Marina, causing tens of millions of dollars of damage. 

“With the fuel docks being down, we did have more operational challenges than we could have foreseen,” Rowe said. 

A seaplane base and marina rebuild project, four years in the making, is now nearly complete. 

“Exciting for pleasure craft, people with boats and the ecotourism businesses here as well as the seaplane base and all the pilots that come and go in America’s Seaplane City,” said Mark O’Keefe, Public Communications Director for the City of Tavares.

Last weekend, a soft opening showed off the new fuel dock, seaplane ramp and a dock for day use. 

“Come one, come all. The transient dock is open now for visitors in downtown Tavares. There’s no charge during the day and both planes and boats can tie up,” O’Keefe said. 

The insurance settlement also funded the new marina, with 80 slips, that will open on June 1. The city believes the timing will be a big boost. 

“The emergence of our economy from the pandemic. It’s definitely a double shot in the arm, no pun intended,” said Bob Tweedie, Economic Development Director for the City of Tavares.

And for Jones Brothers, they look forward to sharing a splashdown experience with even more people. 

“Exposure is huge, but it’ll make our jobs of operating easier and it’ll help us be more interactive with the customers,” Rowe said. 

Tavares has started planning a grand opening and ribbon cutting celebration for October 16.