FORT PIERCE – A Fort Pierce resident is suing the city to stop any new lease agreements for the Little Jim Bait and Tackle site until “an independent third-party investigator” can verify that “all infractions, violations and compliance issues” there have been resolved.
Plaintiff Kevin Keene says he’s willing to dismiss his St. Lucie County Circuit Court action if the Fort Pierce City Commission agrees to that July 6 and will support a City Charter amendment that would require a “countywide vote of the citizens…on all future land-use considerations involving publicly held waterfront lands…”
Court records show Keene, of Palmetto Avenue, began his legal action in October 2025, but the city was not officially served with the lawsuit until February 2026. In it, he alleges the city has failed to act on a series of docks constructed by the current leaseholder without proper permitting and over submerged land owned by the state, not the city.
That’s given rise to a disciplinary action by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) that has resulted in the city being ordered to pay nearly $15,000 in fines and costs, plus an annual charge to rent the state-owned property where those docks are currently located. Failure to comply with the FDEP order could mean additional penalties of thousands of dollars a day.
Keene’s lawsuit alleges there’s “a broader pattern of defective administration and poor stewardship by the city concerning publicly owned waterfront properties,” citing the city’s inability to provide a clear title to land in a floundering Fisherman’s Wharf development, a long-delayed King’s Landing project and closure of Crabby’s, a waterfront restaurant on city property that abruptly closed earlier this year, owing the city $200,000 in unpaid rent and property taxes.
The city filed a motion to dismiss Keene’s suit in March, it was granted by the court in April, but Circuit Court Judge Steven J. Levin allowed Keene, who is representing hiimself, to file an amended complaint within 30 days.
Keene filed his amended action in May and the city responded in June, asking the court to dismiss it and award the city attorney fees.
Keene says he has standing to file his action, claiming that as a “longstanding” user of the North Hutchinson Island waterway, the alleged Little Jim infractions interfere with his “personal use, enjoyment, access and benefit from that specific public waterfront site.”
He says his suit does not impact the city’s current month-to-month lease extension with Little Jim operator Salty3 Baitshop LLC.
Keene acknowledges that the city owns the waterfront property. But he says he’s advocating for control by St. Lucie County voters because waterfront areas are used countywide.
“County residents are the ones launching boats there, fishing there, and relying on those boat ramps,” Keene told Hometown News. “Then county residents should have a voice before those public waterfront assets are leased away or repurposed.”
The city has not responded to Hometown News’ requests for comment on the matter. And the agenda for the July 6 city commission meeting has not been published yet.
The FDEP also has failed to provide statements requested by Hometown News.