CORTEZ – Manatee County has issued a 30- day demolition notice for the removal of Annie’s Bait and Tackle Shop.
“We haven’t received the letter yet, but I was told it’s coming,” Annie’s co-owner, Bruce Shearer, said on March 15. He doesn’t know the final date yet.
The Manatee County Commission voted 6-1 on March 4 for the demolition of the 70-year-old Cortez landmark, which is sited on the Seafood Shack parcel that was recently purchased by the county for $13 million and is slated to become a public boat launch facility. The vote followed recommendations by a structural engineer, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and fire officials based on damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year…