Gov. Rick Scott toured several areas of Brevard County on Tuesday, including the final restaurant in a row of eateries in Port Canaveral to reopen after Hurricane Matthew.

  • Brevard community wants Scott to see hardest-hit areas 
  • Hurricane Matthew caused extensive damage to Fishlips restaurant
  • Federal assistance now offered to Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, Volusia

The Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted the breakfast with the governor at Fishlips Waterfront Bar and Grill in Port Canaveral, hoping to show Scott one of the hardest-hit areas in the county.

Fishlips returned to business Tuesday, the last restaurant in its area of Port Canaveral to reopen.

At first glance, it looks fine, but a closer look reveals the extensive damage, inside and out, that Hurricane Matthew left behind. Their upstairs awning, deck and outside bar  were destroyed by the force of the winds.

“The heart just sank, just sank,” Fishlips General Manager and co-owner Michael Schwarz said.

The restaurant had to lay off 40 employees. It took a week and a half for Fishlips to get back to serving customers, and it will be another couple of months before repairs to the upstairs area can be finished.

The owners estimate it’s going to cost up to a half a million dollars to make repairs.

“Right now, we’re just trying to share our employees with our downstairs to get as much business as we can so they can start paying their bills,” Fishlips President and co-owner Rich Hensel said.

Scott's visit was to put more pressure on the federal government to provide even more assistance for the Space Coast.

“These businesses need to get back to work because it’s about jobs," Scott said. "As you heard, there are 40 people not working now, and even the people that are working they haven’t gotten tips, because in the restaurant business, it’s primarily tied to tips.”

After the port visit, Scott stopped by the Cocoa Police Department to thank officers for their hard work and service during the storm.

Scott said the department played a key role in keeping people safe and helping those in need. The governor also criticized President Barack Obama for not including Brevard County on the federal declaration disaster list.

On Tuesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said individual assistance is now available for residents in Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties. Applicants in those counties must file a request for disaster benefits by Nov. 18, the Governor's Office said.

"While it took more than a week for this federal funding to be designated... I am glad to know that impacted families and businesses will now have access to these resources to help with their recovery process. I continue to urge President Obama to make these designations today in the remaining counties on our east coast," Scott said in a statement.

He also urged the federal government to help repair beaches damaged by Hurricane Matthew.

For information on how to apply for federal funding, go to https://www.disasterassistance.gov.