Manatee County orders 30-day feasibility review to restore Annie’s Bait & Tackle after Cortez Marina structures condemned

Manatee County commissioners on Jan. 28 voted to ask county staff to return within 30 days with a feasibility briefing on options to restore Annie’s Bait & Tackle and related public amenities at the county-owned Cortez Marina site.

The move followed public comment from Cortez residents and business owners and a staff update that the county’s recent acquisition of the marina property was followed by inspections showing extensive hurricane damage. Deputy County Administrator Brian Parnell told the board the buildings on the marina property had been inspected and “are red tagged. We're not allowed to be in them,” and said the county cannot sign leases for condemned structures: “We can't sign leases on condemned buildings. That's not wise to do. It's not legal to do.”

Why it matters: Annie’s is a long-standing Cortez business and a frequent stop for tourists, charter fishermen and residents. Commissioners and residents said preserving the site’s heritage and restoring services — fuel, bait, sandwiches and public access — are priorities while also meeting federal and state safety and FEMA requirements.

What Parnell told the board: The county completed the sales closing for the Cortez Marina property on Dec. 31. Structural inspections after the storms found damage that exceeds repair thresholds and triggers federal (FEMA) and local building-code requirements for rebuilding. Parnell said building replacement and full permitting to current codes makes the timeline to open new facilities likely “two and a half years” from the start of design, permitting and construction. He said temporary leases are not feasible because “there's no parking there because we're going to be fencing it off to demolish the seafood shack and the Neptune room. There's no boat docking there.”

What residents and business owners told the board: Anna Gaffey, whose parents operate Annie’s, described the shop’s role in Cortez and asked the county to preserve the business and its community functions. “Annie's means so much to so many people and to the community. It’s a place where tourists can come and learn the laws and regulations of fishing,” she said. Charter operator Kathy Fannon told commissioners local trade and fuel services rely on Annie’s and urged the county to allow the business to reopen: “A few Cortez guys, you could put Annie's back together without any of this paperwork and it will last for another 60 to 100 years,” she said. Other speakers described volunteer fund-raising and offered to support repairs.

Board response: Commissioners repeatedly expressed a desire to keep the historic and commercial functions at the marina, but noted the county must comply with FEMA, state and local building codes and cannot authorize use of condemned structures. Commissioner Christian Bearden moved that county staff return within 30 days to a public meeting with a feasiblity plan and a cost/timeline estimate for bringing Annie’s back up to code. Commissioner Vern McCann seconded. The motion passed unanimously, 7-0.

What the motion requires: The county administrator and deputy county administrator were asked to present feasible options — including costs, permitting steps, and whether the county can or should commit funds or coordinate grants — at a noticed public meeting within 30 days.

Context and next steps: Staff reiterated the county’s intent to work “in good faith” with owners and Cortez stakeholders to preserve heritage elements while meeting regulatory requirements. Parnell and County Administrator Bishop said they will coordinate briefings for commissioners, consult FEMA and state agencies as needed, and return with options that reflect both code/regulatory constraints and community preferences.

Votes at a glance - Motion: Direct county staff to return within 30 days with feasible options and costs to restore Annie’s Bait & Tackle and related marina access, and to examine steps needed to bring the building up to code. Mover: Commissioner Christian Bearden. Second: Commissioner Vern McCann. Outcome: Approved (7–0).

Speakers - Brian Parnell, Deputy County Administrator (government — Manatee County), first referenced 3346.19–3473.43 - County Administrator Bishop (government — Manatee County), first referenced 2059.63–2072.85 - Anna Gaffey, daughter of Bruce Shear (citizen; Annie’s family/business), first referenced 3845.72–3889.06 - Kathy Fannon, Captain, Captain Kathy Charters (business/citizen), first referenced 4111.34–4164.75 - Commissioner Christian Bearden (elected official — Manatee County Board), mover of motion, first referenced 4699.95–4719.24 - Commissioner Vern McCann (elected official — Manatee County Board), seconder of motion, first referenced 5312.67–5316.85 - George Cruz, Chair, Manatee County Board of County Commissioners (elected official — Manatee County Board), first referenced 358.64–383.60

Authorities - FEMA regulations (referenced by staff as the reason for rebuilding to current code): type: regulation; name/description: FEMA rebuilding/build-back requirements; referenced_by: ["Brian Parnell"] - Local building official unsafe/condemned (red-tag) determination: type: regulation; name/description: Building official condemnation/red-tag; referenced_by: ["Brian Parnell"]

Actions - {"kind":"other","motion":"Direct county administrator and deputy county administrator to return within 30 days with feasible options and costs to restore Annie's Bait & Tackle and related public-access facilities at the Cortez Marina and to present permitting and financing options.","mover":"Commissioner Christian Bearden","second":"Commissioner Vern McCann","vote_record":[],"tally":{"yes":7,"no":0,"abstain":0,"absent":0},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Board requested public briefing within 30 days; direction to work with FEMA/state and provide cost/timeline."}

Clarifying details - {"category":"building_condition","detail":"Structures on the Cortez Marina property were inspected after hurricanes and were red-tagged/condemned by the building official; county staff stated buildings exceed 50% repair threshold.","value":true,"units":"boolean","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Brian Parnell"} - {"category":"timeline","detail":"Staff estimated 2 to 2.5 years for design, permitting and construction to replace marina structures to current codes.","value":"2.5","units":"years","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Brian Parnell"}

Proper_names - {"name":"Annie's Bait & Tackle","type":"business"} - {"name":"Cortez Marina","type":"location"} - {"name":"Neptune Room","type":"facility"} - {"name":"FEMA","type":"other"}

Community_relevance - geographies: ["Cortez (Manatee County)"] - impact_groups: ["tourists","charter boat operators","local small businesses" ]

Meeting_context - engagement_level: {"speakers_count":15,"duration_minutes":95,"items_count":1} - implementation_risk:"high" - history:[{"date":"2024-12-31","note":"County acquisition of Cortez Marina property closed."}]

searchable_tags:["Cortez","Annie's Bait & Tackle","Cortez Marina","FEMA","marina acquisition","redevelopment"]

provenance:{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"b533-559","local_start":0,"local_end":126,"evidence_excerpt":"We have public comments received for the following items, Future agenda items Annie's bait and tackle...","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"b4986-4991","local_start":0,"local_end":68,"evidence_excerpt":"So county administrator and deputy county administrator Parnell, if you can bring that back within the next 30 days to a noticed public meeting to discuss potential options to retain Annie's...","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]},

salience:{"overall":0.72,"overall_justification":"Local cultural and economic importance of Annie's combined with county ownership of the marina property and a directive for a near-term staff report.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Property and business directly affect Cortez and Manatee County residents and tourism.","attention_level":"high","attention_level_justification":"Board action with a 30-day deliverable and unanimous vote.","novelty":0.45,"novelty_justification":"Ongoing acquisition is recent; the 30-day directive is a new near-term development."},

engagement_forecast:{"newsworthiness":{"local":0.90,"regional":0.30,"national":0.05,"justification":"High local interest (tourism, small business, cultural heritage); limited regional relevance."},"notify_recommendation":{"audience":"city","reason":"Community in Cortez and adjacent city government stakeholders should receive notice; short deadline for staff report.","audience_regions":["US-FL-MAN"],"justification":"Local affected residents and businesses need to be informed about a 30-day staff review."},"notify_thresholds":{"local_min":0.6,"regional_min":0.8,"national_min":0.95},"predicted_interest":{"local":0.88,"regional":0.25,"national":0.03,"justification":"High engagement among Cortez residents and patrons of Annie's."},"predicted_read_time_minutes":3.5},

graph_signals:{"jurisdictions":["US-FL-MAN"],"ontology_topics":["marina","small_business","historic_preservation"],"entities":[{"id":"manatee_county","name":"Manatee County","type":"government"},{"id":"annie_bait_tackle","name":"Annie's Bait & Tackle","type":"business"}],"events":[]}