HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013 Council Amendable to Lease ChangeSebastian Council amenable to changing lease for working waterfront - VeroNews: Se... Page 1 of 2
Sebastian Council amenable to changing lease
for working waterfront
Posted: Thursday, February 28, 2013 10:05 am
SEBASTIAN — The Sebastian City Council Wednesday night expressed support for changing
its lease with the non - profit group that runs the working waterfront project on Indian River
Drive. The proposed lease, if approved, would give Fisherman's Landing Sebastian a 20 -year
lease for the site with $1 per month rent.
"We're at a cross - road," City Manager Al Minner told the council, seeking the council's input
before presenting a final lease draft for consideration.
That final draft is expected to go to the Sebastian City Council in either March or April, given
one councilman won't be in attendance during the second March meeting.
Though the Sebastian City Council appeared ready to support changes to the current lease,
they differed in how the lease should be changed.
Councilwoman Andrea Coy said the commercial fishermen should be allowed just one special
event a year instead of the two being proposed. Councilman Jim Hill countered, saying that
two special events aren't enough.
Both Vice Mayor Don Wright and Councilman Jerome Adams expressed concern that the city
– per the new lease – would be on the hook for building a fish house for the commercial
fishermen regardless of whether the city receives a requested $166,000 grant.
The construction of the fish house is expected to cost approximately $325,000. Minner told the
council that he expects to hear from the Florida Inland Navigation District by mid -July as to
the status of the grant.
Mayor Bob McPartlan expressed support for the lease as is but asked that more language be
placed regarding the need for special insurance.
Minner told the council he would work their comments into the finalized draft, though he
didn't say how he would address the number of special events.
"We want them to focus on their objective," Coy said of the commercial fisherman. They
should "go forth and fish, not go forth and party."
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Sebastian Council amenable to changing lease for working waterfront - VeroNews: Se... Page 2 of 2
Hill pointed to the fishermen's special events as being a way to bring hundreds of people into
the waterfront district and pointed to Vero Beach's Sunset Saturday events as a prime example
of attracting people and getting them to disburse throughout the area once the event is done.
Hill suggested that Fisherman's Landing Sebastian host fish frys to raise money and bring
people to the area. Coy said the eatery inside the Hurricane Harbor building should be the one
to hold the fish fry events because that would be in keeping with the eatery's mission.
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