CORTEZ – Following recommendations and a review by a structural engineer, fire officials and the Florida Department of Emergency Management, Manatee County commissioners have voted 6-1 to demolish the historic Annie’s Bait and Tackle Shop.
Commissioners had requested options to bring the hurricane-damaged Annie’s up to code on Jan. 28, but the officials deemed the building as having catastrophic damage beyond the FEMA 50% guidelines due to damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year.
As an alternative to the present structure, Manatee County staff presented a rendering of an elevated temporary food sales trailer that could be operated in its place. The cost to the county for the structure, which would include a sitting area and ADA compliant bathrooms, was estimated to be between $150,000 and $250,000, exclusive of incidental costs. Design and permitting for the new structure was estimated at between 18 and 24 months.
That proposal was rejected by Annie’s co-owner Bruce Shearer as a non-viable business model for him.
“As I look at your renderings, my numbers say I would do one-third of the volume I did before, with the same labor costs,” Shearer said. “The numbers aren’t there in any way, shape or form.”
Shearer said he could repair the current building for under $5,000.
“As it stands right now under your proposal, I’m done,” Shearer said. “It won’t financially work. You’ll lose $250,000 and I’ll lose $100,000 and it will be failed within two months, I guarantee you.”
Shearer said that Annie’s consists of multiple businesses – tackle, bait, food, gas, marine supplies, retail and a bar.
“None of those can make a living on their own,” Shearer said. “With that little takeout thing and the tackle, that’s two out of seven. There’s no way your proposal can work, that’s why I can’t go with it.”
“The reason I’m backing out of this is it is going to cost me about $100,000 to restock the floor and building,” he said. “For you to put in $200-250,000 and me to put in $100,000 in your proposal is stupid money.”
Commissioner George Kruse characterized the county’s proposal as basically a food truck, with some picnic tables and a portable toilet outside.
“That’s what this effectively is because that’s what can be provided on this site at the current time,” Kruse said, adding there is currently no dockage for boats to pull up for bait and gas.
“We’re creating an unviable business that Bruce himself has said, and we’re asking them to pay rent they can’t afford on a property that won’t cover the rent because of the business plan being compressed and we’re being asked to do this with tax dollars,” Kruse said.
Kruse said the county is not subsidizing other private businesses that incurred storm damage.
“It doesn’t make sense for us up here to pick winners and losers and subsidize private industry while other private industries are out of business, and then could come in here and ask, “Where’s my help in reopening my restaurant or storefront?’ ” Kruse said. That’s just fact. We have to look at being smart with people’s tax dollars.
“If we choose to take it down, we are choosing to eliminate the nostalgia of the area,” Terry Ingham said during public comment.
Shearer’s daughter, Anna Gaffey, said, “I don’t know why we were strung along for months.”
Commissioner Carol Felts suggested a public/private partnership could offer a solution.
“We might be able to work something out in the future,” she said, adding, “We can’t be unfair to other businesses that had damage from the hurricane as well.”
“The actual report that we conducted, the recommendation says that the building be replaced with a new structure. That’s the crux of the matter here,” County Commissioner Tal Siddique said. “Can you fix it? That report clearly says no. What the county is proposing and telling you what your business should look like is not what you want it to look like. The temporary structure isn’t Annie’s and it isn’t addressing the needs of the community there. Fire inspection concurs. They both ultimately recommend replacing the structure.”
Commissioner Jason Bearden asked if there is a possibility of selling the specific portion of the Seafood Shack property to Shearer.
Kruse said he was not opposed to that idea, but didn’t think it was a conversation for that meeting.
“After my tour and seeing the county’s damage assessment and independent fire marshal’s assessment, I think it’s clear the facts show that it can’t be salvaged,” Siddique said.
He said a reality of living in a coastal district could mean knowing that way of life could go away due to storms.
“The reality is this is not something I feel I can support because we’re bailing out a private business which I think runs counter to my principles how I think government and private business should operate,” Siddique said. “I can’t support a lease and I can’t support anything that doesn’t support a full rebuild.”
Siddique made a motion to direct staff to decline entering into a lease agreement with Shearer, and to move forward with the demolition of the property. The motion passed 6-1 with Bearden casting the dissenting vote.
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