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Star Fish reopens following hurricanes

Star Fish reopens following hurricanes

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Business, Restaurants | Bars.

CORTEZ – With weeks of hard work behind them of cleaning up flood damage caused by Hurricane Helene, Star Fish Company Dockside Restaurant and Seafood Market reopened on Oct. 31.

“Mother Nature always wins, but human nature will always come back,” Star Fish manager Jim Gowett said seeing the full lunch crowd at the outdoor landmark restaurant.

Star Fish Company reopens following hurricanes
Customers enjoying lunch at Star Fish Company restaurant’s Oct. 31 reopening following hurricane clean up. – Leslie Lake | Sun

Gowett has worked at Star Fish Company for 26 years and as manager for eight. He said the buildings there had never gotten water before.

Following the storm surge from Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27 more than two feet of water got into the buildings, carrying along with it mud and silt.

“We came here right after the hurricane and we were in shock,” he said. “We didn’t even know where to start.”

Gowett said the staff then got to work on cleaning every item in the restaurant and seafood shop.

“We cleaned every shell, every bottle,” he said. “We had this cleaned up and ready to go a week ago, but like everyone else, our coolers and equipment got destroyed with the water, so we were waiting for new ones to be delivered.”

Following Hurricane Helene, broken dock planks were scattered on the dock and tables were overturned by the force of the water.

Star Fish owner Karen Bell said it took a lot of work to get everything back together.

“The docks were a mess, and we are still missing the floating dock,” she said. “All the kitchen equipment had to be replaced due to flood water. But we got it done and I am so happy to be open.”

Star Fish Company reopens following hurricanes
The docks at Star Fish Company were damaged by storm surge from Hurricane Helene. Following repairs and cleanup, the restaurant and seafood market reopened on Oct. 31. – Leslie Lake | Sun

Star Fish has a long history as a Cortez landmark.

According to the Star Fish Company website, it was started in the early 1920s by Judge Millis. Gaylord Garner purchased the business in the 1950s and his son Allen took it over in the late 1980s.

It was primarily a wholesale company before the addition of the retail market in the 1960s.

“In 1996 Allen Garner sold the company to its current owner, Karen Bell. Karen felt that in addition to offering the public fresh seafood in the retail market, it made sense to start offering cooked seafood also. A small kitchen was upgraded and eight picnic tables were placed on the back dock. A restaurant was born,” the Star Fish website states.

The Star Fish Company restaurant serves locally harvested seafood from Cortez fishermen. Outdoor seating provides views of the local commercial fishing fleet and Sarasota Bay.

The Star Fish Company Seafood Market features seafood from local waters including grouper, snapper, mullet and stone crab claws.

Star Fish Company is located at 12306 46th Avenue W. in Cortez.

Shack tenants receive eviction notices

Shack tenants receive eviction notices

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Business, Featured, Real estate | Development.

CORTEZ – Business owners on the Seafood Shack property received eviction letters effective Sept. 30, but a Manatee County spokesperson said new agreements with those businesses are possible after the county buys the property.

“It is the intention of Manatee County to make every effort to establish new contracts that include county contract requirements with legacy and/or new vendors once the county is the owner of the property,” Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan wrote in a Sept. 20 email to The Sun.

Manatee County commissioners unanimously approved the $13 million purchase at a Sept. 5 land use meeting with the anticipated use of the property as a public boating access facility consisting of a boat ramp, dry storage facility and marina.

The scheduled closing date for the sale is Oct. 7.

Logan said the business owners’ properties are leased on a month-to-month basis.

“The current landlord (owner Vandyk Properties) would not agree to a sale date extension to allow the buyers (Manatee County) an opportunity to evaluate the current leases prior to closing, so the current tenants must vacate their locations per the current landlord’s requirements,” Logan wrote.

Logan wrote that there will likely be no changes to the configuration of the property for 12-24 months after the sale closes to allow the county time to complete an overview of the property and craft plans for future enhancements.

“No work will commence before neighbors, nearby HOAs, and other stakeholders are informed of the impact(s) anticipated and allowed an ample opportunity to engage in that planning process,” Logan wrote.

The property, which consists of seven upland parcels of approximately 5.9 acres and two submerged land leases of 2.9 acres, was appraised at $12.55 million. That appraisal assumed that two expired submerged land leases would be renewed.

“I assume the board will act as a landlord and essentially create a revenue source by leasing slips and continue to lease space to those businesses that are already there,” Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said at the Sept. 5 meeting. “We’re not looking to put anybody out of work.”

The eviction notices came from Vandyk Properties and advised business owners to vacate the properties by Sept. 30.

“The eviction notice is a legal letter,” said James Morganroth, who has owned Pirate Adventures of Cortez at the Seafood Shack Marina since 2018. “I’m hearing from other businesses here the county is in talks with the owner so that may not happen. That’s the hope for sure.”

Morganroth said he is excited about the prospect of the county installing a new marina and boat slips.

“This property has a lot of potential,” he said.

Annie’s Bait and Tackle, which has existed since the 1950s, is part of the Seafood Shack parcel. Annie’s co-owner, Bruce Shearer, told The Sun on Sept. 20 that he is reserving comment until Tuesday, Sept. 24. Commissioner George Kruse was scheduled to hold an open meeting for area residents on Sept. 23, after press time for The Sun.