Funeral for a friend
Customers, employees and proprietor Bruce Shearer gather March 28 at Annies Bait & Tackle in Cortez to socialize one last time before the property is demolished by Manatee County, the owner since December 2024. The demo date is unknown. The property was damaged in the 2024 hurricanes and the county determined demolition was the only course. “It’s sad, what (Manatee County) did for Cortez,” Shearer said. “It’s been a good run here. My life has never been planned but I’ve always seen opportunities. This was one of them.” Islander Photos: Robert Anderson
Peg Miller of Bradenton Beach signs a farewell card affixed to the front of the Annie’s Bait & Tackle, 4334 127th St W., Cortez.
A farewell gathering March 28 for Annies Bait & Tackle, 4334 127th St. W., Cortez, took the form of an outdoor social, with attendees sharing memories and stories.
Claudia Vaccaro, Maria Miskus and Kelly McLaughlan share a moment in the parking lot of Annies Bait & Tackle. McLaughlan, a Bradenton resident and bartender for Annie’s, said she had worked at the establishment for 10 years.
Regulars congregate March 28 for a farewell toast at Annie’s Bait & Tackle in Cortez. The Manatee County board of commissioners voted March 4 to demolish the 70-year-old Cortez landmark, citing significant hurricane damage. Annie’s is part of the Seafood Shack parcel that was purchased by the county for $13 million in 2024 with plans to build a public boat ramp.
This should tell everyone that our Manatee County government is only after the money and spending money. Anything of historical significance or value is endangered, the Commissioner’s do not care. The have the ability to save and preserve it but do not wish to do so, guessing they are flush with money (found the 13 million to purchase the property in one of their other pockets), so they want to build some new faceless structure that they will lease and fail into perpetuity.