City Pier Grill operators hope to renegotiate lease
ANNA MARIA – The City Pier Grill & Bait Shop operators want to renegotiate their lease before committing to another five years in the city-owned City Pier building that’s currently closed due to damage caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
Operating as GSM Partners LLC in a pier building leased from the city of Anna Maria, pier tenants Brian Seymour, Vic Mattay and Nick Graham opened the City Pier Grill & Bait Shop on Dec. 10, 2020. Their initial five-year lease with the city expires on Dec. 31.
Seymour, Mattay and Graham attended the June 12 city commission meeting. Their desired lease considerations include a lower rental rate, a roof structure for the City Pier Grill side of the T-end deck area, higher capacity electrical service and discontinuing the 10 p.m. pier closures.
Seymour, Mayor Mark Short and the city commissioners spent about 40 minutes discussing the seven-page presentation GSM Partners provided regarding their current and future pier tenancy.
Seymour said GSM Partners has the option to extend the current lease for 15 months to account for the time lost to the hurricane-related pier closure.
“Not knowing until the pier is almost rebuilt, to reinvest for a 15-month extension probably would not provide for a successful ROI (return on investment) and would not warrant continuing operations on the City Pier,” according to the group’s Power Point presentation.
Seymour said he and his partners are paying $400 per square foot to lease the city-owned pier space and $40 per square foot to lease the privately-owned space on Pine Avenue occupied by the Anna Maria General Store and Dips Ice Cream.
Seymour hopes to renegotiate a lease that offers a “more equitable” monthly rate and includes credits for days lost due to mandatory pier closures related to hurricanes, tropical storms and other unforeseen circumstances. The restaurant operators’ lease payments are suspended while the pier is closed.
Seymour said on average they lost 104 days a year to inclement weather during the first four years of their pier tenancy; and the entire fifth year due to the hurricane damage and pier closure. Seymour said those lost days and revenue fluctuations make it more challenging to recruit and retain staff members and also negatively impact the musicians who provide the City Pier Grill’s live entertainment.
Commissioner John Lynch said many Anna Maria Island business owners face the same weather-related challenges and they don’t receive rent reductions. Seymour said he doesn’t expect credits for days lost to normal rainy, cold and windy weather.
Isolated with no walkway that provides pedestrian access, the pier buildings currently have no power, utility or water service. Seymour said he and his partners have no idea how much it will cost to restore their leased space to its pre-hurricane condition.
He said the City Pier Grill was supposed to receive 800 amps of electrical power and the city only provided 400 amps. He said more power is needed to fully accommodate the restaurant equipment and other technological needs.
Seymour and his partners want the city to install a roof structure over the currently uncovered seating area at the T-end of the pier using the $75,000 previously budgeted, but not spent, to install shade sails over the uncovered deck area used by City Pier Grill patrons and others. Seymour doesn’t believe shade sails are a good option at the end of the pier.
The pier tenants want the roof structure to include drink rails on the north and west sides of the open-air structure. Seymour said the current seating capacity is 65 to 80 seats, depending on whether the benches are counted as seats. He said the drink rail stools would add 40 more seats and the increased seating would help provide liquor service in addition to the current beer and wine offerings.
Lynch and Commissioner Chris Arendt questioned how the proposed roof structure and drink railings would impact fishing from the T-end of the pier.
Additional concerns
Seymour said generations of pier users used to enjoy fishing on the pier late at night and a lot of people complain about the pier not being open 24 hours a day like it was before the previous mayor and commission decided the pier would close and the main gate would be locked at 10 p.m.
Seymour said making his staff responsible for closing the pier and restrooms, clearing the pier of occupants and locking the gate at 10 p.m. subjected his staff to confrontations with the public, some of which included threats of violence.
When the pier reopens in the summer or fall of 2026 as currently expected, Seymour and his partners want the public works department and/or the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office to take over those responsibilities. They also want the city and the sheriff’s office to provide greater enforcement of the pier rules that include no smoking, no bicycles, no animals and no jumping or diving off the pier. Seymour said asking his staff to enforce those rules subjected them to additional confrontations.
Seymour and his partners want more transparency regarding the costs shared with the city that include pressure washing the pier, lighting maintenance, parking area maintenance and more. They would also like the same sign allowances given to Mote Marine. Seymour said Mote Marine was allowed to place a sign on the side of their leased building that faces the Anna Maria shoreline and the City Pier Grill was not.
Commission Chair Charlie Salem thanked Seymour, Mattay and Graham for the insights they provided.
“It’s a lot to think about. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into this,” Salem said, noting the commission will try to do what is best for the city and the city’s pier tenant, whoever that may be.
Seymour didn’t seek a commission vote but he said he and his partners need a commitment soon regarding the roof structure and the renegotiation of the lease. He also noted they must give the city six months’ notice if they plan to vacate the pier space.
Related coverage:
Mayor seeks TDC support for pier replacement project
