FORT PIERCE\u2013The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) says unpermitted docks built over nearly 10,000 square feet of state-owned submerged land adjacent to Little Jim Bait and Tackle will cost the City of Fort Pierce $16,000 in state fines.<\/p>\n
If the city does not agree to FDEP\u2019s settlement terms, the docks constructed by the current Little Jim operator may have to be removed and the city could be liable for penalties and fines of up to $25,000 a day, in addition to criminal sanctions.<\/p>\n
And written communications in January between the city and Little Jim operator Salty3 Baitshack LLC show concerns over site erosion, handicapped parking and restrooms and site drainage threatened the continued use of the North Hutchinson Island waterfront as a bar\/restaurant.<\/p>\n
\u201c…if public safety issues cannot be remediated in a timely manner, the city must determine whether continued use of the property for its current purpose is appropriate considering the associated safety implications,\u201d Fort Pierce City Manager Richard Chess wrote in a communication to Little Jim manager Donna Qvarnstrom that was obtained by Hometown News as part of a public records request. \u201cSalty3 Baitshack LLC is responsible to contact the appropriate state and county enforcement agencies to address these concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a June 17 letter from FDEP, also obtained by Hometown News, gives the city 20 days to agree to the state agency\u2019s consent order and temporary use agreement to address the docks constructed on state-owned submerged property. The next day, City Attorney Sara Hedges responded, telling FDEP 20 days was not enough time for the city to act and requested information on seeking an extension.<\/p>\n
Neither the FDEP nor the city has responded to Hometown News\u2019 requests for an update on the status.<\/p>\n
The controversy first arose in 2025, when the city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for bidders interested in a new, long-term lease to operate the historic waterfront restaurant. Several bidders raised questions then about the site\u2019s zoning, official boundaries, environmental impacts and the location and construction of the adjacent docks that had been added without required permits.<\/p>\n
Those bidders were eventually declared \u201cunresponsive,\u201d and evaluators determined a Michigan company\u2019s proposal was rated highest for the new lease.<\/p>\n
The city subsequently threw out all the bids, citing unresolved issues, and has continued the lease with the current operator on a month-to-month basis since October, after FDEP identified suspected violations at the site in August.<\/p>\n
In its June 17 consent order, Sirena Davila, director of FDEP\u2019s Southeast District, directed the city to:<\/p>\n
\u2013Within 30 days, pay the state fines and costs totaling $5,000, plus another $10,989.74 \u201cfor the past and current use of the (state) lands without the approval or authorization\u2026\u201d The FDEP assessed that lease cost for 9,649 square feet from August 2021 to August 2026. Additional cost will be computed and billed for time after August 2026.<\/p>\n
\u2013Apply for a permit to keep the docks over the state\u2019s land within 60 days and apply for a lease of those lands within 120 days. If the permit is not granted, the docks must be removed within 180 days of the denial.<\/p>\n
\u2013Pay a $1,000-a-day penalty for each day the city might fail to comply with any of the terms.<\/p>\n
\u2013Have temporary, exclusive use of the structures now existing on the state land for up to one year or until the state grants authorization for the city to use the state land. However, a long-term agreement was not guaranteed and the order could be terminated if the docks \u201cencroach or interfere with riparian rights of the adjacent upland riparian owner\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013\u201d…not conduct any dredging, filling or construction activities\u201d in the state waters without obtaining a FDEP permission.<\/p>\n
\u2013Not assign or transfer any negotiated rights to use the state-owned property \u201cto any other party without prior written consent\u201d of FDEP.<\/p>\n
The order leaves the door open for other parties \u201cwhose substantial interests are affected\u201d to petition for an administrative hearing on the terms within 21 days.<\/p>\n
A Jan. 5 email from Hedges to nine city employees, including City Manager Chess, indicates the city already anticipated the FDEP had found boundary violations and would be \u201cseeking damages and monetary penalties against the city.\u201d Hedges also asked for a review of Salty 3 Baitshack\u2019s existing lease.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdditionally, I strongly recommend a review of the Lessor\u2019s lease be conducted for their responsibility and how the city would like to move forward with operation of this property given the issues FDEP has raised,\u201d Hedges wrote, the emphasis being hers.<\/p>\n
Hedges also asked for the city\u2019s insurance carrier to review any coverage the city might have.<\/p>\n
Although these city records did exist as early as Jan. 5, at least two requests by Hometown News to the city for updates on the status of the FDEP inquiry in March and April produced no records.<\/p>\n
The city also has thus far failed to answer questions, including whether the city or Salty3 Baitshack will pay the state-ordered fines and lease costs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT PIERCE\u2013The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) says unpermitted docks built over nearly 10,000 square feet of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":318364,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172,563],"class_list":["post-318363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news","tag-st_lucie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=318363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/318364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=318363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=318363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}