City says intent is to restore docks and rebuild structure
After suffering destruction beyond repair as a result of the strikes of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, the City of Sarasota’s “popular waterfront bait shop, Hart’s Landing,” was razed last week, the city’s Nov. 14 newsletter reported.
“It’s a significant loss to the community dealt by Mother Nature,” the newsletter added.
“The City’s intent is to restore the docks and rebuild the Hart’s Landing structure,” the newsletter continued. The city’s “Parks and Recreation team is reviewing viable, sustainable options. With the intent to rebuild on Sarasota Bay, it’s important to note this will be a lengthy process,” the newsletter pointed out. “Environmental protection and resiliency will be key components, requiring design plans and the permit approval process to be coordinated with multiple government agencies,” including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the newsletter added. Others possibly may be involved, it noted.
Hart’s Landing dates back to the 1920s, when the Hart family operated a bait shop, the newsletter continued. In the early 1960s, the bait shop was located in the Golden Gate Point area, the newsletter said. With bridge construction expected to displace it, the newsletter explained, “the City of Sarasota agreed to build a new structure adjacent to the Ringling Bridge Causeway with a formal agreement that the Hart family would operate it.
“Hart’s Landing has been a fixture in our coastal community for a century,” the newsletter added. “Many of us have fond memories” of fishing and boating there and, “more recently, enjoying it as a live music venue,” the newsletter said.
“That rich history will not be erased. It will take time, but we intend to rebuild a better, more sustainable bait shop that will be able to endure Mother Nature’s fury and will be enjoyed by future generations of Sarasotans,” the newsletter noted.