Fort De Soto's North Beach set to reopen soon

• With North Beach coming back online, most of the park will be ready to welcome visitors again, parks and conservation resources director Paul Cozzie told Axios.

State of play: East Beach, the fort and the dog beach reopened earlier this month, while the Gulf Pier is expected to reopen Saturday.

• Cozzie cautioned that sections of the park "look kind of surreal." The tree cover was thinned out and dunes were pushed back by storm surge, with some now bare of the sea oats that once grew there.
• Part of the seawall by the pier was washed out, as was a section of the road on the east tip of the island, Cozzie said.

Fun fact: The county recently signed a contract with a new concessions company that took over the park's food and beverage stands, gift shops and rental kiosks this month.

• ExploreUS has a presence in several national and state parks around the country and is "eager to start welcoming people in," Cozzie said.