MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — As many businesses struggle to survive during the pandemic, Caddy's will soon open the first and only full-service beachfront restaurant in Madeira Beach.
"We have our liquor license. We're getting ready to open," said Bill DaSilva, Caddy's G.M. "We're going to be a great fit and a great part of this community."
Owner Marcus Winters said he invested nearly $7 million on the property located at 14080 Gulf Boulevard. DaSilva said they hope to open the new restaurant by mid-March and have been in the process of hiring between 60-to-100 employees.
"We hired a lot of locals in the area," he said. "I have individuals training at other locations."
Mayor John Hendricks said Caddy's will be the most restricted facility in Madeira Beach. That's because it's located on beachfront property in a mostly residential area of the city.
"We do have a lot of restrictions on them," he said. "They'll be monitored closely and they've assured me they're going to be good neighbors."
Some of those special conditions include maintaining a clean beach, limited hours for amplified music, no tables or chairs on the sand, on-site-only alcohol and lighting requirements for sea turtles.
Wesley Nichols owns a condo two lots north of Caddy's and said his biggest concern is parking.
"There are more seats than there are parking spaces at the new Caddy's," said Wesley. "We're just concerned that the overflow might drift this way."
DaSilva said Caddy's purchased a convenience store across the street along with other lots for customer parking.
"We have valet parking. We have lots," he said. "We will contain that."
Caddy's also donated some land to the city that increased the parking spots from 6 to 19 at the adjacent Tom and Kitty Stuart Park.
"They also paid to have a bathroom put in," said Mayor Hendricks. "They really helped upgrade the parking lot."
DaSilva said they're still finalizing their operating hours and exact opening date.
"We'll be good neighbors," he said. "Anybody can always reach out to me."