The Anna Maria City Pier might have a new tenant on the T-end by the time it reopens.
Brian Seymour, a managing member of GSM Partners LLC, the company operating the City Pier Grill & Bait Shop, asked city commissioners June 12 to authorize Mayor Mark Short to renegotiate the terms of their lease for the T-end space.
GSM Partners is comprised of Seymour, the owner of the Pine Avenue General Store; Victor Mattay, owner of Dips Ice Cream; and Nick Graham, owner of Pine Avenue Bait and Tackle.
The company leased the space on the west side of the T-end after the structure was built to replace the historic pier, which was demolished in 2018 due to damages from Hurricane Irma the year before.
The City Pier Grill & Bait Shop opened in December 2020, only months after the new pier opened.
Almost five years later, the pier is closed again, having lost stretches of its walkway in Hurricane Milton last year.
The city contracted with Bradenton-based Quality Marine Construction Inc., to demolish the remainder of the walkway so it can be rebuilt with superior materials, according to Short.
He said work on the walkway demolition would begin before the end of the month.
Meanwhile, the city is still working on financing the construction of a new pier walkway. (See story page 21)
In the meantime, the City Pier Grill & Bait Shop remains closed and its five-year lease expires Dec. 31.
While GSM Partners has an option to extend the lease for another five years, Seymour said several issues prevent the company from locking in that extension.
One issue is the unknown reinvestment cost for reopening the grill and bait shop.
Seymour said that, with the pier closed and the T-end disconnected from land, it was unclear how much the company would have to spend to get the space operational again.
Another issue is the loss of operating days due to weather.
Over its first four years, the business — which relies on outdoor seating and a walk-up order window — lost on average 104 operating days per year because of inclement weather, according to Seymour.
Seymour said one of the biggest issues was how the grill and bait shop was put in charge of opening and closing the pier every day when it is open.
He said the historic pier used to be open to the public 24 hours a day, and many people react strongly to being asked to leave — resulting in confrontations between staff and members of the public.
Other issues include high rent, limitations on equipment due to a lack of electricity pulled to the pier’s T-end, a lack of city-approved signage for the grill and bait shop, a lack of cover over the seating area, as well as a handful of extra costs GSM Partners was never warned about.
Seymour said GSM Partners would like to extend the lease for another five years, with another 15 months on top to make up for storm-related loss of operations.
However, he asked city officials to consider changes, including:
- Having city code enforcement officers and Manatee County sheriff’s deputies open and close the pier;
- Renegotiating the lease for more “equitable” monthly rent, maintenance and utility costs;
- Providing credits for days lost to weather events, like hurricanes;
- Constructing a hard roof to cover for the grill’s seating area;
- Approving signage to match Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium Marine Science Education and Outreach Center’s signage, as well as an electric menu board above the order window.
“If we can’t come to some sort of give and take between both sides then, you know, it’s not a threat or anything, but it just doesn’t make business sense for us to reinvest and continue on,” Seymour said. “It doesn’t make financial sense to reopen the business under existing conditions.”
Commissioner John Lynch questioned Seymour’s request to credit operating days lost to severe weather events.
He said every business accepts risk by operating on the island and asked what reason the city would have to credit lost days.
Seymour said he was not asking for the city to credit every rainy or windy day, only operating days when the grill and bait shop is forced to close due to severe weather.
“I don’t think negotiating in the worst of the worst days, 5-10 days a year, is a big ask,” he said.
Commission Chair Charlie Salem thanked Seymour for his presentation and said it provided food for thought.
There was no public comment.
The commission will meet next at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 26, at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive.
Directions to attend the meeting can be found on the city’s website, cityofannamaria.com.