At Tuesday’s Manatee County Commission meeting, a throng of Cortesians and Islanders plan to turn out in support of a local bait shop/bar and grille that happens to be my favorite place to drink a cold beer in Manatee County. Annie’s Bait & Tackle was badly damaged during the recent Hurricanes, and with the county’s purchase of the Seafood Shack and adjacent marina, its future is somewhat uncertain.
Commissioners should recognize the immeasurable value of preserving a family-owned business that not only serves the community but serves as a reminder of the rustic, Old Florida charm that once defined our area and has all but disappeared in the increasingly homogenized landscape. I discovered Annie’s 15 years ago when I first moved to Bradenton from Siesta Key, and it immediately made me feel better about being so far from favorite haunts like the Crescent Club, Captain Kurt’s, S.K.O.B, and New Pass Grill & Bait—a comparable joint off of Lido Key. Here was a place where I could get a hamburger to rival even New Pass, that also served frog legs and gator tail, as well as my native beer, Yuengling Lager!
I was out boating with some friends, and we pulled into the marina to gas up. “What’s that place?” I remember shouting, as it called to me like sirens but from the land rather than the sea. It was like we’d taken a wrong turn, passed through an aquatic black hole, and come out in Key West circa the early ‘70s.
My fondness for sub-tropical dive bars is one of the things that first drew me to and has kept me in southwest Florida. I can tell you about the best beach bar dives from here to Tarpon Springs. The Anchor Bar, Drift In, Sports Lounge, Skinny’s, and D Coy Ducks on the island. Shadracks, Willy’s Burgers & Booze, the Beach Lounge, and Riptides on St. Pete Beach. Ka'Tiki on Treasure Island, Mahuffer's on Indian Shores, and even the Boat Club on the Anclote River in Tarpon Springs. All of them are worth the trip, but none of them make me as happy as bellying up to the ancient bar at Annie’s for an ice-cold Yuengling and some grouper cheeks.
I don’t get out there as much as I did when I lived close by, but I had a chance to stop by over Labor Day weekend, just before Hurricanes Helene and Milton had their way with Annie’s and many other local establishments. My better half and I had just spent a lovely long weekend on the island and stopped by on the way back inland for lunch and a cold one. Proprietor Bruce Shear greeted us, and his daughter, Anna, was there to help him out over the holiday.
“This place is like a time capsule,” I told Melissa. “At one time, every other business out here had this sort of vibe. I can’t imagine a day when it’s no longer here.”
Soon after our blissful trip, storms ravaged the island to an unprecedented degree. So many of the places we’d just visited were gone or offline. The Rod & Reel fell into the sea. Up the coast, Willy's and Mahuffer's remain closed, hoping to rebuild from the storm. Woody's Waterside, another venerable institution on St. Pete Beach, recently announced that it will not be able to reopen because of FEMA's 50% rule, which is a challenge for Annie's as well.
For communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, structures located in a Special Flood Hazard Area are considered "substantially damaged" when the cost to repair them is 50% or more of the market value of the structure. The structure must then be brought into compliance with current local floodplain management standards, which can include elevating it, using flood-resistant materials, proper flood venting, or demolition and reconstruction
I was critical of the deal to buy the Seafood Shack and its associated properties when the last board brought it forward, mainly because there hadn’t been enough public discussion as to whether it was the best deal for taxpayers as well as what it would mean for the other businesses—including Annie’s. Now that a significant investment is needed to bring them back online, the county needs to assist the tenants in doing so and make it clear that the rug won't be pulled out from them afterward.
What’s done may be done, so far as the Seafood Shack and others go, but the county can save Annie’s Bait & Tackle, and it should. Change is inevitable to some degree and, at times, necessary for beneficial progress. But there can also be great value in preserving elements of our past, especially when they provide the sort of window that can help us better navigate an always uncertain future. There are precious few places in Manatee County that serve to remind us of the days before cookie-cutter McMansions, strip malls, and chain restaurants dominated the landscape. Annie’s is at the top of that list and should be preserved for future generations to enjoy.
Dennis "Mitch" Maley is an editor and columnist for The Bradenton Times and the host of our weekly podcast. With over two decades of experience as a journalist, he has covered Manatee County government since 2010. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Click here for his bio. Mitch is also the author of three novels and a short story collection available here.
6 comments on this item
Only paid subscribers can comment
Please log in to comment by clicking here.
AllForOne
An old piece of history that will never be replaced. The county needs to honor our heritage and make sure the designs co-exist.
Sunday, January 26 Report this
Cat L
Agreed. We've lost too much of our history in a very short time. Some business are community anchors as well as historical, and should be recognized as such.
Sunday, January 26 Report this
jghaft
FEMA's 50% rule has an historic property exemption. If the County were to place Annie's on its historic register, it could in theory be rebuilt more or less as it was.
You don't know what you've got till its gone. Annie's is definitely worth saving
Sunday, January 26 Report this
rjckeuka4
Love those beach bar dives! They're real...they're "character"...they're cultural...they're historic! Gotta be saved!
Sunday, January 26 Report this
sandy
Contact the Department of Historical Resources at the Clerk of Circuit Court. They can help with the process to get Annie's on the Florida State Master Site File. Probably would be quicker than the Historical Register. Would still get the same exemption from FEMA of the 50% Rule. When Cathy Slusser was there, she helped me a few times getting structures on the list including the 1912 Schoolhouse in Cortez. Then a variance from the 50% rule can be granted if the rehab/rebuild meets the requirements of the building keeping its historical characteristics. Cathy, herself, would be a good resource. She is a member of the Historical Preservation Board.
Sunday, January 26 Report this
WTF
We just received over a quarter of $1 billion for redevelopment and water management. This problem can be easily solved with a temporary modular building for Annie’s . Developers do it all the time they bring in a modular building for their office as the development is built out and then they move it off the property after the end of the development. The other solution could be a food truck and a bait truck. Or use one of those half million dollar boat shuttle that no one uses into a bait boat. Think outside of the bait bucket ha ha
Sunday, February 2 Report this