MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Time is ticking for a bait shop that has been in Cortez for over 60 years. Now, county commissioners have 30 days to decide if they can rebuild it since it was damaged by the hurricanes.

What You Need To Know

  • Manatee County officials will take 30 days to decide what to do with Annie's Bait & Tackle

  • After the recent hurricanes the county says the shop was red-tagged, and the repairs would cost more than 50 percent of the property value

  • The owners just hope they can rebuild and reopen for business

  • BELOW: Commissioner Bearden full statement to Spectrum News

Anna Gaffey’s father owns Annie’s Bait and Tackle, a place she grew up in.

“I spent my whole life here — birthday parties, just my whole life here,” she said.

Her dad, Bruce Shearer, has owned the business since 1996. He says it is known as the main bait and gas stop in Cortez, but a lot has changed since hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“The water came up so fast. It came, and you checked this place — half an hour later, the water had risen this high,” he said.

Since then, county officials say the shop was red-tagged, and the repairs would cost more than 50 percent of the property value.

“They put a tag on, and you call city hall. If you’re familiar with that, it’s a slow road. Then they started talking demolition,” he said.

Manatee County bought the land the bait shop sits on in December, so it’s up to county administrators to decide what to do with it.

However, at Tuesday’s county commissioners meeting, several residents spoke during public comment urging commissioners to save Annie’s. One commissioner, Jason Bearden, appreciated the appeals and pushed county staff to find a solution.

“County Administrator Bishop, I need you to figure out how to make that building up to code to make Annie’s continue, no ifs, ands, or buts,” he said.

A motion from Bearden passed, saying the county has 30 days to do a feasibility study on what is needed to bring the building back up to code. It’s a decision the business owner supports.

“They’re going to assess the building to see what it’s going to cost to fix it and what it’s going to take to bring it up to code.”

For now, Shearer and Gaffey are left waiting to see if their favorite place will be able to move forward.

“I’ve put 30 years into it — does that tell you anything?" Shearer said.

Commissioner Bearden provided a statement to Spectrum News to explain his reasoning for the motion to finish the feasibility study in 30 days. He said: “Too often, elected officials focus on reasons why something can’t be done instead of directing staff to find a way to make it happen. This business matters to the people of this county, which means it matters to me. I will continue to fight to ensure their voices are heard and action is taken.”