‘Irreparable damage’: Hurricanes Ian, Nicole permanently shutter popular Flagler County restaurant

Gene Saladna
·2 min read

The building that housed a popular Flagler County restaurant for the better part of seven years is set to be demolished, county officials recently announced.

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The Bull Creek Fish Camp, which opened in 2014, suffered major damage in 2022 after falling victim to Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.

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The restaurant, located within Flagler County’s Bull Creek Campgrounds, has been closed for several months.

County officials said that in early September of 2022, a change in tenants prompted a temporary closure of the restaurant so repairs and updates could be made.

But the impacts of Hurricane Ian later that month further delayed the reopening of Bull Creek Fish Camp.

It appears that Hurricane Nicole’s wrath on Flagler County in November was the final nail in the coffin for the future of building.

The wood frame structure, built in 1997, sat flooded with at least a foot of water for a month and is “irreparable,” county officials said.

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They determined that the only way for the restaurant to reopen would be to demolish the unsafe structure and rebuild from scratch.

That, however, would come with a hefty price tag of $1.8 million.

“This is probably very conservative, as we would have to do additional boring samples because this area is built on a ‘cord road’ (layers of trees and soil) and we would likely have substantial costs for foundation work,” Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito said.

She added that the current insurance policy doesn’t cover flooding.

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“This facility is a non-conforming structure that sits in the floodplain, and is ineligible for flood insurance.”

The county said that the boat ramp and the RV park at Bull Creek Campgrounds will remain open.

Demolition of Bull Creek Fish Camp restaurant is slated for late February.

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