MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — As Madeira Beach works to rebuild its iconic Archibald Park Snack Shack, city leaders want food trucks to feed hungry visitors but have not been able to fill up many of the open weekly slots, according to Mayor Anne-Marie Brooks.
“Part of the challenge for staff has been getting people to apply,” she said. “So if you’ve got a food truck and you’re interested in coming to Archibald and being the ‘food truck for the week,’ call our Recreation Department.”
An application link has also been posted on the Madeira Beach Recreation Facebook page. Mayor Brooks said it’s a great opportunity for food truck owners as the park is very busy on the weekends. The first food truck the city attracted has been scheduled to arrive on May 18.
“It’s pretty exciting in that you’ll be able to come and get something to eat, get something, hopefully, to drink,” she said. “And stay on the beach.”
Jennifer Harris was visiting the park with her family on Monday and said they had to bring food to the beach.
“We just went to the store and bought all kinds of snacks and had issues,” she said. “We went to the gas station to get some ice for our cooler but the gas station’s under construction. So now we’re just over here with some hot water.”
The Snack Shack has been closed since Hurricane Helene’s storm surge flooded the building in September 2024. Community Development Director Marci Forbes said the rebuilding process has been taking longer than usual because the city must first write an historical designation code into its Land Development Regulations.
“It’s new for our community. So we’re having to add that from scratch, which adds a little bit to the timeline,” she said. “We do have a draft version of that from our consultant and we’re actively reviewing that.”
Forbes expects the Snack Shack, which was built in 1934, will qualify as an historic landmark building in the fall. The designation allows the city to exceed FEMA’s 50 percent rule for hurricane damaged reconstruction. Forbes said the city has been gathering its photos of the Snack Shack over the years and will soon ask the public to provide some too.
“That’ll help us then start reviewing the historical evolution of the building,” she said. “Such that we can pick the era that we want to go back to.”
Consultant engineers recently evaluated the sub-structure and found only two of the more than 40 pilings were slightly damaged by Helene, which aligns with Forbes initial assessment, and can be repaired in place. The engineers determined about 450 square feet of sub-floor needs to be replaced, which Forbes said is less than a quarter of the total. The building has also been treated for termites.
Forbes estimates it will cost around $400,000 to rebuild the Snack Shack and has engaged an architect. Brooks said it will be money well spent.
“The community really came out in droves wanting us to find a way to save it. It is a landmark, it’s a destination,” she said. “There are people who say, ‘tear it down. Why are you going to spend all of this money?’ But people come to Madeira Beach to go to John’s Pass. People come to Madeira Beach to come to the Snack Shack and to go to this beach. So having it is a big deal.”
Brooks said the city expects to reopen the Snack Shack sometime next year.