WHOSE BOOTS ARE THOSE? Today, our Jane hung her waitressing boots on the Seafood Shack sign. Her Captain Jack just retired and they are sailing away into the sunset. For those who don’t know, Jack and Jane met at the Shack. Enjoy the pictures from the last day, https://slate.adobe.com/cp/NuxrT/ THE SHACK EXPERIENCE When you are at the Shack, the voices you hear are the voices from the neighborhood. The voices are mingled with those who stumble upon the Shack, were told by a friend, or find the Shack on Yelp or trip Advisor. The voices are accompanied by the boaters, and boat captains. The Shack does not offer a stiff restaurant atmosphere. Rather, this is a community hub. It's where we gather. It's our home away from home. IGY Marinas have no plans for a restaurant. Their reputation has caught up with them here in St.Petersburg. People have said IGY Marina’s destroys the local culture and the pattern has already started. The marina will be a cold spot in St. Petersburg and not reflect the city slogan — The Sun Shines Here. Below is the the number and email for the corporate headquarters. Feel free to contact them and the Chicago owners, Bixby Bridge Capital. Also feel free to contact Mayor Kriseman who is so insulated and afraid to leave his beloved downtown. He can meet with the Rays and fight to keep baseball here. Yet he will not help a small woman-owned, vet-owned business keep la local seafood shack. We are LOSING OLD FLORIDA, ONE SEAFOOD SHACK AT A TIME! FILMING YOUR SHACK STORY Film crew had a great day filming first time visitor Jim and his family and Lisa whose group volunteered her to speak. Monday we are going to the Fishery to film the "Where seafood comes from!" We hop to have a movie trailer up next week. CONTACT MAXIMO MARINA OWNERS Bixby Bridge Capital is the out-of-state owners from Chicago are David Colburn and Steven Fass 1. Contact them online and share your thoughts, http://www.bixbybridgecapital.com/contact-us/ 2. Call them at 847-313-6454 CONTACT MARINA MANAGEMENT — IGY Marinas. 1. Contact them online and share your thoughts via http://www.igymarinas.com/contact/ 2. Phone the Global Headquarters in NYC: 212-705-5000 SUPPORT MAXIMO SEAFOOD SHACK LIKE then share your thoughts on Maximo Seafood Shack’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/macovello/ NORTH CAROLINA — If Bixby had ANY sense at all, they would look around and see that development that preserves the best of what is there is what SELLS and attracts patrons. This is not rocket science, but clearly they aren't rocket scientists. It is stupid investing. ILLINOIS — This seafood shack has local flavor and serves everyone, not just the rich yachters CALIFORNIA — This is a classic story of our times -- Wealthy greedy people taking what they want from not-so-wealthy hardworking people who have finally made something wonderful that people really enjoy. I hear this story repeatedly in slightly different versions and it makes me sick because almost always, Goliath wins. Occasionally Maximo and Margaret Covello will win and I truly hope this time that will happen. I'm disgusted with version after version of the 2% stomping out the Margaret Covellos of our world. Please stop this. The world isn't fun when only the wealthy win. WASHINGTON — I am an attorney in Washington State. I have seen these types of cases over and over again. Apparently, America is for sale to the highest bidder. I wonder whatever happened to individual property rights. ST. PETERSBURG — This is a landmark Restaurant we've eaten and carried out from since they opened. The food is consistently five stars in quality and service. ALABAMA — I worked as a medical transcriptionist for a small, thriving group of medical doctors. We transcriptionists began to hear rumors of being bought out by a larger medical group. We began asking around and were finally granted a meeting with the executives. We all demanded to know our status. We were told over and over again that we had nothing to worry about – our positions were stable. Then, we were finally told we had 30 days before our jobs would be terminated. We were given a chance to work for a transcription company transcribing the doctors' notes we previously did at the office. However, instead of being paid $13 an hour, we would be paid four cents a line, which wound up being less than minimum wage. No sick days, no vacation time, no insurance, no pension. Sign of the times in this country. It's got to stop. NEVADA — Small business is what this country used to thrive on and should again. If the corporation truly said they would relocate her then I hope it is in writing and she should use that. I agree, local flavor is what makes the tourist industry. MAYOR KRISEMAN UPDATE Only time we heard from our Mayor was when he was quoted in the Tampa Bay Times article, “"While the City encourages and appreciates investments into our community, and especially into the Skyway Marina District, this is ultimately a private matter between the owners of the marina and the seafood shack," the mayor wrote, adding that the city's focus is on "building up small businesses, not tearing them down." Yet, Mayor Kriseman has no problem calling the President of the Tampa Bay Rays! STATS — They keep growing! 5162 Supporters 977 Comments 45 States 384 Cities in United States 10 Countries — Australia, Canada, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Norway, England, Scotland, United States Regards, Robert Neff Independent Investigative Journalist @5wa on Twitter, https://twitter.com/5wa Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/rcneff Linkedin, https://www.linkedin.com/in/rcneff