FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — The City of Fort Pierce is facing a nearly $200,000 financial hit in unpaid rent and taxes following the abrupt closure of Crabby’s Dockside. As city leaders prepare for a public meeting tonight, the City Manager has walked back previous claims regarding the cause of the shutdown, admitting that a city billing oversight contributed to the restaurant’s exit.
The lease agreement between the city and Crabby’s Dockside required the City of Fort Pierce to pay property taxes upfront, with the restaurant later reimbursing those costs. While St. Lucie County records confirm the city paid the 2023 and 2024 tax bills on time, the city failed to invoice Crabby’s for reimbursement for years.
The city did not send a bill to the restaurant until July 2025, with another following in December. This administrative delay effectively demanded three years of back taxes from the business within a single five-month period—a sudden financial burden the restaurant says it couldn’t sustain.
Crabby’s Dockside officially closed its doors on February 15. The company stated that they had reached out to the city to request temporary rent relief and attempted to negotiate a manageable payment plan. However, the business claims they never received a formal response from city officials before the decision was made to shut down.
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The closure has left the city with a significant budget gap and a vacant landmark building at the city-owned marina.
Commissioner Michael Broderick told CBS12 News that he is pushing for transparency regarding how the reimbursement process fell through the cracks.
The City of Fort Pierce is facing a nearly $200,000 financial hit in unpaid rent and taxes following the abrupt closure of Crabby’s Dockside.
“I’m looking for clarity as to where the situation stands currently and what the plan is moving forward,” Broderick said. “The city is taking physical control of the building… we now need to deal with the tenant as far as unraveling all the legal issues that are going to come forward because of this.”
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The issue is at the top of the agenda for the City Commission meeting tonight at 5 p.m., where leaders are expected to discuss the legal next steps and the future of the waterfront property.