FORT PIERCE – The future operator of city-owned Little Jim Bait and Tackle and how the city should select the next one have become campaign fodder for all three candidates running Nov. 4 for the vacant District 2 seat on the Fort Pierce City Commission.
Candidate Jaimebeth Galinis is calling for current operator Salty 3 Baitshack LLC to get another long-term lease for the property and has announced a Sunday rally to “support the current Little Jim’s owners.”
Contender Donna Benton is urging people on social media to go to Monday’s city commission meeting “and hope they vote to do the right thing by keeping Little Jim Local!”
Candidate Chris Dzadovsky posted that he doesn’t disagree with the popular North Hutchinson Island bar/restaurant/bait shop being “operated by locals,” but advocates for “fixing the current terrible process for these types of proposals before starting again.”
Galinis’ rally of support for current Little Jim management is Sunday, from 2-4 p.m., at Causeway Cove Marina.
“The operators have poured their hearts into keeping it…locally owned and true to its roots,” Galinis’ statement says. “Let’s make sure Little Jim’s stays local, independent, and ours.”
Benton says the city had the chance “to proactively ensure a good 20-year lease was in place long ago, preserving our charm and history. Fort Pierce history matters.
“Selling out Little Jim is another bad move by the city commission.”
Dzadovsky’s website shows pictures of the Little Jim property on North Hutchinson Island when recent flooding covered a portion on the site with water, saying the city must address multiple issues.
“The recent developments in the City’s bid process — and Commissioner Mike Broderick’s public call for the City to withdraw and re-evaluate the current proposal — underscore the need for a comprehensive, transparent, and accountable process moving forward.”
He supports extending the current lease on a year-to-year basis until the outstanding environmental, legal, and procedural issues are resolved and a fair, compliant process is established.”
Little Jim’s is located off the waterfront causeway that links Fort Pierce with North Hutchinson Island. It was originally a guard building to access a Navy training center here during World War II and became city property when the U.S. Navy conveyed the land city when its based closed in 1944.
The city has followed city and state rules by soliciting bids for proposals to operate the site on a long-term lease. The lease outlines each party’s responsibilities for the property and how much the city will be compensated for its use.