🌅 🎣 Little Jim’s RFP Drama Explained

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🚨 VYBEZ is closing down: Man, it's pretty unfortunate. One of the few nightclubs in the county and now it's over. See the announcement here.

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What's Going On: City Manager Richard Chess spent 15 minutes Monday night explaining why the Little Jim Bridge RFP was closed with no winner selected, walking through the timeline of events that led to all five bidders being disqualified.

By the Numbers:

The backstory: Little Jim's Bait & Tackle, where Navy SEALs checked in before WWII training, has been part of Fort Pierce for eight decades. But its 20-year land lease expired, and state law requires competitive bidding for city-owned property. Co-owner Donna Qvarnstrom's biggest fear is being replaced by a chain restaurant or big box store.

What happened: Chess says the decision was made September 22nd when he discovered the evaluation committee had scored bidders who didn't submit mandatory documents like balance sheets. "I said wait, you can't do that. If they didn't submit something that was mandatory they were nonresponsive." He briefed commissioners October 5-6, but by October 10th media had reported a Michigan vendor appeared to be winning, creating perception the city backtracked due to public pressure.

The real problem: Commissioner Broderick visited the property and found violations at state, county and city levels. Docks on state land, unpermitted work, compliance issues across departments. "We were trying to force onto a tenant a s**t sandwich," he said. "We are the landlord here. It is our responsibility to clean up this mess."

What happens next: Chess met with department heads Monday morning to compile every violation and determine who's responsible for fixing what. Commissioners are considering a special workshop just on Little Jim to explain the RFP process to the public before putting out another RFP.

Why competitive bidding: State law requires competitive bidding for public property. "We cannot just give this contract to the current operator. It has to be competitive, it has to be fair, unbiased and impartial," Chess said. Any employee showing bias in the RFP process faces termination as "the least of their problems."

Commissioner Gaines: "I'm not going to Tallahassee on an ethics complaint. I'm not going to Tallahassee with no bar complaint and I'm definitely not going to jail because somebody think I'm doing something wrong with these RFPs."

Context: This is the second RFP for this lease. Fort Pierce has been under scrutiny for its RFP processes following legal issues with the former city manager. Chess has implemented new procurement procedures and maintains he is not involved in RFP evaluations.

💭 Your take: Should the city fix all violations before putting out a new RFP? Share your thoughts here.

Want the full story? Read the complete breakdown here.

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Quick catch-up: Last week I covered the St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission vote on a massive data center project west of Fort Pierce. In my video, I didn't make it clear enough that the Planning Board doesn't make the final decision. They only recommend approval or denial to the Board of County Commissioners.

What actually happened: The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-2 to recommend denial of the 1,218-acre data center project. This is a recommendation, not a final decision. The Board of County Commissioners will make the ultimate call on whether this project moves forward.

Why the recommendation to deny:

What's next: The recommendation goes to the Board of County Commissioners for a final vote. Even if approved, the project would still need state review by the Department of Commerce, FDOT, and other agencies.

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