CORTEZ – The future of the Manatee County-owned Seafood Shack parcel remains to be seen but progress is being made on the 98-acre FISH Preserve in Cortez.
FISH Preserve
The 2024 hurricanes took their toll on the 98-acre FISH (Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage) Preserve. Allen Garner, a retired landscape architect who has been working on the preserve for many years, reported on the devastation at a Jan. 6 FISH meeting. He noted that multiple trees and plants were destroyed.
In June, the FISH board approved a proposal by Garner to complete a public accessibility project at the Preserve in fulfillment of a $165,000 grant from the Barancik Foundation.
By year-end, the project at the preserve on Cortez Road, which included foot trails, bridges linking the east and west sides of the preserve, signs and picnic areas, was nearly completed.
FISH festival
FISH’s 43rd Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival was appropriately themed, “Swamped but Never Sunk,” following the impact of the 2024 hurricanes on the village.
Mindful of continuing recovery efforts, the FISH board asked for Cortez residents’ opinions in November 2024 about holding the annual festival. Many residents agreed that a festival would be uplifting for residents following the hurricanes that swamped many homes in the village.
Nearly 10,000 people attended the festival on Feb. 15 and 16.
“I’m so proud of Cortez right now,” Cortez Village Historical Society Vice-President Paul Dryfoos said at the festival. “After all that everybody has been through, to pull off a festival like this and make it successful is so great.”
Stone crab festival
The annual Cortez Stone Crab & Music Festival was cancelled due to the community members’ need to focus on rebuilding their businesses and homes. Organizers said the festival will be back.
Seafood Shack
On Dec. 31, 2024, Manatee County purchased the Seafood Shack parcel for $13 million, with the anticipated use of the property as a public boating access facility with a boat ramp, a dry storage facility and a marina.
In January, county commissioners voted to explore ways to bring the hurricane-damaged Annie’s Bait and Tackle Shop on the site up to code.
Following recommendations and reviews by a structural engineer, fire officials and the Florida Department of Emergency Management, Manatee County commissioners voted 6-1 in March to demolish the historic Annie’s to make way for the future Cortez Marina.
The demolition of Annie’s on April 16 marked a sad day in Cortez, as years of memories for many were reduced to a pile of rubble. More than a 70-year-old building, Annie’s held a wide array of meaning for those who came to watch the demolition. For some, it was the first stop for a day on the water for ice, beer, gas and bait; for others, it was a spot to unwind on the patio for dinner and drinks; and for many, it was one of the last standing local tributes to Florida heritage.
The Seafood Shack, a waterfront restaurant and events venue, was demolished on April 21. The parcel, consisting of approximately 5.9 acres, remains fenced off.
The county conducted five informational community open houses attended by 313 people. Common concerns were traffic congestion, water quality, preserving the character of the area and a boat ramp’s traffic and noise impacts on adjacent neighborhoods.
A group of Cortez residents has mobilized in opposition to the proposed boat ramps at the former Seafood Shack property. The group, Concerned Citizens of Cortez Coalition (CCCC), represents 327 Cortez families. The CCCC is expressing concern about boat ramps in a residential area, citing issues including traffic and congestion, safety, environmental stress, impact on property values and noise issues.
Citing strong opposition from Cortez residents, along with lack of funding to complete a proposed boat ramp, Manatee County commissioners floated the idea on Dec. 16 of making the Seafood Shack site a public park, at least temporarily.
Commissioners asked county staff to return in February with two conceptual designs – one with a boat ramp and one without.
Slicker’s reopens
The doors to Slicker’s Eatery reopened 128 days after the flooding from Hurricane Helene swamped the restaurant.
“It feels tremendous to be open,” owner Bob Slicker said. “We’re all so relieved. After four months of money going out for the staff and myself, we’re just happy to put a Band-Aid on it and start moving forward.”
Slicker had been unprepared for the sight that greeted him after the September 2024 hurricane, when he found tables, chairs and dishes askew and floating, freezers flipped over, a dumpster pushed into the middle of Cortez Road and an ice machine broken in two and wedged against the door.
“My staff was here every day I needed them, from the day of the hurricane to opening back up. As a team, I haven’t lost one employee,” he said.
