FORT PIERCE, Fla. — City leaders in Fort Pierce have made plans to revamp their development and leasing process following multiple controversies over waterfront properties.
WATCH BELOW: 'I will not rest until I get to the bottom of this issue,' City Commissioner Michael Broderick tells WPTV
Monday night, Fort Pierce city commissioners voted unanimously to reject a settlement offer from plaintiff Kevin Keene, who is suing the city over its handling of the historic restaurant Little Jim's Bait & Tackle restaurant.
"We'll continue the litigation — we'll continue the fight," Keene told WPTV.
The rejection means more taxpayer dollars will likely go toward defending the case.
"I mean, we still have to defend it, that's for sure, we have to, we have an obligation to do so," City Commissioner Michael Broderick said. "I also feel as though the lawsuit doesn't have any merit."
Broderick said the settlement wasn't practical — particularly a provision that would have required taxpayers to vote on future waterfront land decisions.
"You can't wait for an election or fund a special election every time you want to do something on city-owned property that's waterfront," Broderick said.
WATCH PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fort Pierce weighing settlement in lawsuit over Little Jim Bait & Tackle
In a sit-down interview with WPTV, however, Broderick did acknowledge some of the controversies mentioned in the lawsuit, which allege a "broader pattern of defective administration" of city waterfront properties.
"I'm not opposed to change. Not at all," said Keene. "I'm opposed to the way it was handled."
The Little Jim Bait & Tackle case is at least the fourth waterfront property dispute WPTV has reported on, and the second to result in a lawsuit.
In 2023, the developer of King's Landing threatened legal action after claiming the city sold him buildable land filled with old power plant concrete.
"There'll be litigation," developer Dale Matteson told investigative reporter Kate Hussey at the time.
In 2024, the developer of Fisherman's Wharf, Chris Shelli, filed suit against the city after state records showed the city promised property it didn't own.
"They can either pay us back the money we spent — or we'll end up in the courtroom," Shelli said.
WATCH BELOW: King's Landing development in Fort Pierce may still happen
Then in 2025, Little Jim's land lease expired and the city sought bids to take over the property. Amid public outcry, the city abruptly canceled the process, prompting Keene's lawsuit and leaving at least two developers frustrated.
“Feeling quite disappointed, angry,” said developers Luigi and Drita Lucaj. “We followed their recommendations very thoroughly.”
This year, the city became responsible for nearly $200,000 in unpaid rent tied to Crabby's Waterfront Restaurant.
"How do you respond to allegations that this is an example of a pattern of mismanaging waterfront properties?" Hussey asked Broderick.
"I'm not going to say it's managed poorly. I'm going to say it's not being managed, and that's an issue I take very seriously," Broderick replied.
WATCH BELOW: Fort Pierce turns down all bids for beloved Little Jim property
"You've identified what has gone wrong, how it went wrong," said Hussey. "How do you, as a city, fix this?"
"This is going to take a top down, bottom up approach to look at the entirety of the portfolio of the city of Fort Pierce and fix this one asset at a time," Broderick said.
In addition to examining the current process, Broderick said the city is creating a new real estate management position to track leases, rent payments, and waterfront properties — with the goal of preventing these problems from happening again.
"I will not rest until I get to the bottom of this issue, it's going to be categorized, it's going to be spreadsheeted," Broderick said.
Both sides say they are open to negotiating. Keene says he wants transparency, not money, and is willing to revise his offer. Broderick says he will consider any feasible settlement that keeps the case out of court.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Read more of WPTV's coverage below:
WPTV Investigates
Fort Pierce rejects lawsuit settlement over Little Jim Bait & Tackle
Real Estate News
Here's why proposed Fort Pierce development may still happen
WPTV Investigates
'We'll all have to pay': Why this city says this wharf is contaminated
Fort Pierce
No deal: City rejects all bids for beloved waterfront property
Fort Pierce