Manatee County Commissioners have voted to demolish a 70-year-old bait and tackle shop in Cortez Village, paving the way for a new two-story shop and marina.

Bruce Shearer, the owner of Annie’s Bait and Tackle, had hoped to save the building, believing it was still salvageable. However, the county, which recently acquired the property, decided otherwise.

Shearer had been waiting on a lease before last year’s hurricanes struck.

“We were like the Cheers restaurant—everyone knew each other,” he told WTVT. “You could walk in from the UK and recognize five people from your last visit.”

Hurricane Helene flooded the shop, and Hurricane Milton shattered its windows. Despite a county damage report assessing the structure as 45.8% damaged—below the threshold for “substantial damage”—commissioners voted 6-1 in favor of demolition.

“It’s heartbreaking to lose this place. Not for me, but for the community,” Shearer said. “It’s another piece of old Florida gone.”

District 4 Commissioner Tal Siddique supported the decision, citing concerns about structural integrity, dock conditions, and potential leaks from a single-wall tank on the property.

To mitigate the loss, commissioners discussed bringing in temporary trailers while the new marina and shop are under construction.

“We want to ensure whatever we build fits Cortez—not some flashy, modern structure, but something that belongs here,” Siddique said.

District 6 Commissioner Jason Bearden was the lone dissenter.

“We’re pushing out the little guy to bring in big private industry,” Bearden argued.

While commissioners considered incorporating Annie’s into the redevelopment, Shearer is uncertain about joining the project, believing the rebuild could take years.

“I wish we could have saved it,” he said. “But now, it’s just memories.”

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(Image credit: WTVT)

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