CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — A popular Port Charlotte center is closing its doors forever.
The Cultural Center of Charlotte County will no longer be open to the public on Monday, November 8.
Residents who heavily relied on the center and its services are devastated.
“It blows my mind that it’s closing after 61 years,” said Debbie Corrick, a former cook.
The center cannot find the funds to stay open. They asked for help from county commissioners, but when they asked for more information and future business plans, the center couldn’t provide it.
“I think it’s unfair to the residents,” said one woman from Port Charlotte.
Many community members are confused on how they will spend their days.
“Now that it is closing, I think a lot of people are going to just not go out,” said Corrick.
One woman told reporters that she knows people who don’t have family in the area, and they would go to the center to make friendships and form bonds.
Corrick worries for the future of the surrounding businesses too.
“Hopefully nothing else will close down because then this neighborhood will be in trouble,” Corrick said.