FORT PIERCE \u2013 The City of Fort Pierce now has until Monday to decide if it will agree to a state-proposed, $25,000 settlement agreement to cure boundary violations caused by unpermitted docks at Little Jim Bait and Tackle.<\/p>\n
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) says additional remedies include the city paying the state for a long-term lease on the state land under the docks, removing them, or facing fines of up to $25,000 a day.<\/p>\n
For its part, the city says only that the \u201cmatter is currently under active review\u201d and that it \u201cis unable to provide comment\u201d at this time.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Megan Rutter, public information specialist for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection\u2019s southeast district, says the city still has an opportunity to ask for more time to \u201crequest edits\u201d to the state\u2019s consent order.<\/p>\n
But it is the city, rather than Salty3 Baitshack LLC, the current lease holder who added the docks without building permits, who will be \u201cresponsible for the payment of any civil penalties, department costs and lease fees outlined in the Consent Order,\u201d Rutter said in an email response to questions from Hometown News.<\/p>\n
Under terms of FDEP\u2019s current settlement order, the city must pay $16,000 in fines for docks at the Little Jim\u2019s site that are located on nearly 10,000 square feet of state-owned submerged land. The rest of the popular bar\/restaurant is on land given to the city decades ago by the federal government after a military guard shack was abandoned by the Navy after World War II.<\/p>\n
The FDEP also says Fort Pierce owes it nearly $11,000 in lease payments for the state land, dating back to August 2021, plus future lease charges if the docks remain there in the future,<\/p>\n
The property boundary came into question in 2025, when the city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) from bidders interested in a long-term lease to operate a business at the site. The existing lease with Salty3 was set to expire.<\/p>\n
Several prospective bidders who questioned the city\u2019s lease specifications, including the legal boundary, were ruled \u201cunresponsive\u201d by the city, and a Michigan group was ranked the top prospect by city evaluators, beating out Little Jim\u2019s current operator.<\/p>\n
Then citing a series of questions about the bidding, the city withdrew from the process, granting Salty3 a month-to-month lease extension until a new RFP could be issued. That month-to-month arrangement has continued for more than a year.<\/p>\n
City officials have said a new RFP has been prepared and is awaiting the boundary matter to be cleared.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease also note that one of the docks was installed prior to the applicable regulatory rules, so an Environmental Resource Permit is not required,\u201d Rutter explained. \u201cThis dock, as well as portions of the other docks, are located on submerged lands that are not sovereign (private deed), therefore, do not need proprietary authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Rutter, \u201cif the city does not obtain a permit or a sovereign submerged lands lease for the portions subject to these authorizations, the structures and activities must be removed and\/or ceased.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the city issued its 2025 RFP, bidders were asked to include provisions for a water taxi service that would dock at Little Jim Bait and Tackle on North Hutchinson Island. It\u2019s not immediately clear whether that will be allowed by the state, even if the city agrees to lease the state-owned submerged land after the current issues are settled.<\/p>\n
Rutter directed questions to the City of Fort Pierce about whether fines ordered paid by the city will be passed on to \u201ccurrent or future tenants.\u201d The city has not responded to those queries by Hometown News.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould additional information become available for public release, it will be provided through the appropriate channels,\u201d said Kaitlyn Ballard, city communications and marketing manager, in an email to Hometown News.<\/p>\n
The public may also have a stake in how Fort Pierce responds to FDEP\u2019s order.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny person whose substantial interests may be impacted must file a petition against the consent order within 21 days of the Consent Order being executed,\u201d Rutter said.<\/p>\n