Guth-501(c)(3)?
The Manatee County Board of Commissioners and the Manatee County legislative delegation sent letters to Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein in April expressing support for the protection of the Raymond “Junior” Guthrie stilt-house through a plan that would transfer ownership of the structure from Guthrie to a Cortez nonprofit.
In 2018, the DEP successfully sued Guthrie for building the Sarasota Bay stilt-house over state-owned submerged land near the A.P. Bell Fish Co. docks in Cortez, but a series of extensions on 12th Circuit Judge Edward Nicholas’ final demolition order has allowed the structure to remain standing.
The latest extension — a March 8 stay of enforcement on the order — opened a 60-day window for officials to consider protections for the stilt-house.
Robert Schermer, Guthrie’s attorney, said May 3 that he would file a motion to extend the stay that expired May 8. “He’s the judge, and he gets to do what he wants to do, but it’d be our hope that it is extended because we’ve made strides in looking to protect it,” Schermer said.
In 2018, county commissioners sent a letter to the DEP that outlined the historical significance of net camps to the Cortez fishing village — listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1995 — and expressed the board’s desire that the stilt-house, which they characterized as a historic net camp replica, be protected by state permits.
On April 15, county commissioners unanimously voted to direct Chair Vanessa Baugh to sign another letter to the DEP expressing the board’s continued support for Guthrie’s stilt-house.
District 3 Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, representing Cortez, made the motion, which was seconded by Commissioner Carol Whitmore, who drafted the letter.
While Guthrie maintains the stilt-house is a historic net camp, critics of the 1,200-foot structure — built with electricity, sliding-glass doors, a wide deck and other amenities — have said it does not resemble camps of old. Historic net camps were barren shacks built over the water in the 19th century to store nets.
The April 15 letter outlines a plan to make the stilt-house appear more authentic and transfer its ownership to a nonprofit, thereby increasing the likelihood that the DEP will drop its lawsuit and agree to a lease for the state-owned submerged lands.
“Currently the net camp does not conform to state standards however, we believe a commitment from Cortez community leaders to establish a nonprofit organization pledged to the historical interpretation, facade reconstruction and subsequent maintenance of the structure will restore the net camp to its historical character,” the letter reads.
A.P. Bell Fish Co. owner Karen Bell, who has been assisting Guthrie, said May 3 that the plan’s details were not ironed out.
Access to the camp, changes to the exterior and removal of amenities, including a refrigerator, would be determined by the nonprofit, Bell said.
“(Guthrie) might even be one of the members of the nonprofit,” she said. “But, I’m assuming it’s going to be mostly village people that would be interested in it.”
Whitmore, who also led the 2018 push to support the structure, said May 5 that developer Pat Neal was instrumental in drumming up official support for the stilt-house at the county level.
Neal, initially contacted by Bell, organized a meeting with Whitmore, Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department director Charlie Hunsicker and Manatee County Historical Commission representatives to brainstorm ways to protect the structure, Whitmore said.
“(Neal) didn’t want to help a specific person, he wanted to help the character of Cortez,” she said.
At the state level, District 73 Rep. Tommy Gregory was rumored to initiate legislation to protect the structure during the legislative session that ended April 30. The opportunity did not pan out.
However, on April 29, Gregory’s office sent a letter to the DEP mirroring the county commission’s sentiments.
The document was signed by the county legislative delegation, including state Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, Republican Rep. William “Will” Robinson Jr. of District 71, in which the structure is located, and Democratic Rep. Michele K. Rayner of District 70.
“After Hurricane Irma in 2017, Mr. Raymond Guthrie Jr. rebuilt the Guthrie Net Camp. It has been rebuilt multiple times and is currently a more modern building than the previous structure. While the Guthrie Net Camp has lost some of its historic charm, it is an important part of the history of Cortez,” the letter reads.
When asked about the plan to turn over the stilt-house to a nonprofit, Guthrie said May 5 that he’s onboard. “It sounds good. I hope it works out,” Guthrie said.