A lawsuit over Little Jim Bait & Tackle bar on North Hutchinson Island will move forward after the Fort Pierce City Commission unanimously rejected settlement of a lawsuit over the lease agreement for the iconic spot.
However, one city commissioner did call for a public meeting to discuss the future of the beach bar.
The commission July 6 rejected the settlement offer by resident Keven Keene, who filed a lawsuit in October 2025 requesting the city not award a lease for the bar until the city comes into compliance with violations cited by the the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The state claims Fort Pierce has made unauthorized use of state-owned bay bottom at the bar’s marina.
Keene also wants Fort Pierce to hold countywide votes on any uses of city-owned waterfront property. The city, though, has no jurisdiction in the county and county voters cannot vote in Fort Pierce elections or on Fort Pierce referendums.
Keene filed the lawsuit months before the DEP fined the city nearly $16,000 for building unpermitted docks — or allowing their construction — on state-owned waters at Little Jim Bait & Tackle bar and using the area without paying rent to the state. The city has 30 days to comply; to respond to the DEP; or to request a hearing.
Iconic Florida bar at center of lawsuit and DEP investigation
Keene’s June 9 settlement offer, emailed to the City Attorney Sara Hedges, asks the city to hold off on pursuing any new leasing option, solicitation or request for proposals until all violations are brought into compliance.
The city also would move toward amending the city charter to require a countywide vote on all land-use considerations involving publicly held waterfront lands, Keene’s settlement offer requested.
“The folks who live in the county (in order to vote) would have to be approved by the state Legislature,” Keene wrote in an email to TCPalm. “That’s a completely different road to go down, but one I am already prepping for.
“This case has never been about money or personal gain,” Keene wrote. “It has always been about protecting publicly owned waterfront property, making sure known issues at Little Jim are resolved first and ensuring the public has a meaningful voice before major long-term decisions are made involving public waterfront lands. Once they are leased away, tied up for decades or changed in major ways, the public may not get a second chance.”
The city was successful in having the lawsuit dismissed in April, but Keene amended his lawsuit in May. The city has filed a motion to dismiss the amended lawsuit.
At the July 6 meeting, City Commissioner Arnold Gaines requested the city discuss the Little Jim property and lease to dispel rumors about condos being placed on the property and other issues, he said.
“None of up here want to lose the diamond that is Little Jim,” Gaines said. “There are rules we have to follow. … This (commission) seat does not want to take Little Jim from the public. Let’s put it all out there.”
Florida DEP fines Fort Pierce for marina docks
The fines are due in 30 days from the issuance of the June 17 DEP letter. If the city does not comply with the order, the DEP could fine the city $15,000 per day and levy administrative fines of up to $10,000 per day and criminal penalties, according to Sirena Davila, director of the DEP’s Southeast District.
The state has not called for the removal of the docks.
The state contends approximately 2,883 square feet of docks was built over waters of the state without a valid permit, and approximately 9,649 square feet of state-owned submerged land is being impacted by the dock without a lease from the state, Davila wrote in the letter to the city.
City Commissioner Michael Broderick acknowledged the DEP’s order and did not dispute the facts. He believes the city will request a hearing or be given more time to come into compliance, he told TCPalm.
In 2024, the city canceled the process of awarding a new lease for the Little Jim Bait & Tackle property. The lease has since expired, and the issue with DEP and the docks were part of the reason the city canceled lease-renewal negotiations, Broderick said.
The current lease, which was transferred to Donna Qvarnstrom in 2019 after the previous owners retired, expired Feb. 28, 2025, and she is now operating on a month-to-month lease.
Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s St. Lucie watchdog, environment and fisheries reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida city rejects lawsuit settlement over iconic beach bar lease
Reporting by Timothy O’Hara, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Timothy O'Hara, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
