Don’t put those stilt-house calendars away.
Judge Edward Nicholas opened a 60-day window of opportunity March 1 for state legislators to protect the house Raymond Guthrie Jr. built on pilings in Sarasota Bay when he granted a motion for a stay of enforcement on his final order that the structure be demolished.
The 60-day extension will begin when Nicholas signs the order.
According to the document, unsigned as of March 4, the court “accepts as true the representation that the stay is requested to allow the Florida Legislature or other governmental body to consider protection for the structure,” and that the stay would not cause harm to the interests of the plaintiff, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The DEP sued Guthrie in 2018, a year after he constructed the stilt-house on pilings in Sarasota Bay yards off the A.P. Bell Fish Co. docks for building on state-owned submerged land.
According to Guthrie’s attorney, Robert Schermer, Nicholas granted the motion in part because the structure poses no immediate threat to the environment.
“It’s not shown that there’s any harm; it’s not leaking diesel fuel,” Schermer said. “And (the pilings have) been there 50 years, so it’s not in the way of traffic.”
According to A.P. Bell Fish Co. owner Karen Bell, who has been assisting Guthrie in his legal battle with the DEP, Manatee County’s legislative delegation expressed support for protecting the stilt-house at a Jan. 6 meeting.
The delegation includes state Reps. Tommy Gregory of District 73, William “Will” Robinson Jr. of District 71 and Michele K Rayner of District 70 and state Sen. Jim Boyd in District 21.
The 2021 Legislature meets through April 30.
Gregory’s staff did not reply to email inquiries about measures to protect the stilt-house as of Islander press time March 8.
If the Legislature shows no interest in maintaining the structure, Bell said Manatee County could come to Guthrie’s aid.
The Manatee County Commission wrote a 2018 letter to the DEP supporting the structure.
Guthrie has maintained the stilt-house is a net house — although built with electricity, air conditioning and other amenities. Historic “net camps” are where fishers stored cotton nets in the early 19th century before the advent of monofilament nets.
Bell said in other areas of the state, including Lee and Pinellas counties, ordinances protect historic net camps.
The submerged land beneath those structures is leased by the DEP and Bell said Guthrie should be afforded the same opportunity.
“It doesn’t matter how we do it,” Bell told The Islander March 2. “I’m open to any and all options. Just to allow that little structure to remain there is all I care about.”
Guthrie did not respond to multiple calls for comment as of Islander press time March 8.