ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — Officials in the city of St. Pete Beach have been trying to figure out whether to repair or demolish two public buildings in Pass-a-Grille that were flooded by Hurricane Helen: the shuffleboard clubhouse and Merry Pier bait shop. 

What You Need To Know

  • The shuffleboard clubhouse and Merry Pier bait shop in Pass-a-Grille were substantially damaged by Hurricane Helene

  • Officials say the shuffleboard clubhouse will cost $176,000 to repair, and the Merry Pier bait shop will cost about $96,000

  • Community and city leaders said the buildings represent the character of St. Pete Beach 

“We just want to save what we can of the old Pass-a-Grille,” said resident Alan Stalb, 87. “There's just so little left.”

Stalb is a member of the Pass-a-Grille Shuffleboard Club, which has been lobbying the city to save their clubhouse. The group showed up to a city commission meeting last week to make their case.

“You cannot play shuffleboard unless you have a place to store equipment,” said resident Peter Coleman. “This is a city with very woefully few public structures … I think some efforts should be made in this case to try to bring this building back to life.”

Public Services Director Camden Mills said the clubhouse was determined to be substantially damaged in the storm and it would cost about $176,000 to repair, or $8,000 to demolish.

“We have received just under $83,000 from our insurance,” he said. “I'd like to point out this is just the payout that we've received so far, not the final determination.”

Pass-a-Grille Shuffleboard Club President John Gustafson said the clubhouse is registered as historically designated and should be saved.

The bait shop at the Merry Pier is the other structure that was determined to be substantially damaged, according to Mills. To repair the bait shop it would cost about $96,000, while the price for demolition is $65,000. he said the insurance payout so far has been $62,000.

“The reason why the demolition cost of this structure is so much higher is just due to the complications of the building being over water,” said Mills. “The intricacies of taking that apart without having any adverse impacts to the environment.”

The bait shop was built in the 1970’s Matthew Foos, who, while fishing off the Merry Pier Friday, said it would be a shame if the bait shop was torn down.

“I think it's a horrible idea, because it attracts tourists. Tourists come here to fish and they go here to get all their supplies,” he said. “You can literally just park here and you can grab lunch here, you can grab a drink, you can go to the bathroom, you can get more bait. It's a one stop shop.”

All of the commissioners indicated support for trying to keep the buildings, but worried about the cost after being left cash strapped by last year’s back-to-back hurricanes. Commissioner Karen Marriott said the bait shop and the shuffleboard clubhouse are part of the community fabric.

“For a very long time, the citizens of St. Pete Beach have had a lot to say about maintaining the character of St. Pete Beach,” she said. “I think it's absolutely accurate that these two buildings are prime examples of what that is.”

Stalb said he’s a history buff and agrees with Marriott about the character of the community.

“There is a case to try to keep a Pass-a-Grille, as much as it can be, the old style,” he said. “This and the pier are two of the old style things that are still left.”

The clock is ticking for the city to make a decision about the bait shop. The FDEP emergency declaration that allows for state permit exemptions ends on May 31. The bait shop would need an FDEP permit because it’s located above water, Mills said.