Bight Board back negotiations for Shrimpboat Sound Redevelopment

From ATFKW: BREAKING: Bight Board Unanimously Backs Negotiations for Shrimpboat Sound Redevelopment

The Key West Historic Bight Management District Board voted unanimously Wednesday to begin contract negotiations with the Berensen-Spottswood group to redevelop Jimmy Buffett’s former Shrimpboat Sound studio into a working recording studio, small retail shop and a small outdoor music venue with a Margaritaville-themed bar.

They hope the project will help showcase Buffett’s impact on Key West and the rest of the Florida Keys.

The board approved a staff recommendation to enter negotiations, which are expected to begin immediately under a 120-day timeline. City staff was also directed to determine a fair market rent for the city-owned property as part of the negotiation process.

Several speakers during public comment voiced support for the plan, including local restaurateur Joe Walsh and bar owner Jim Gilleran, who urged the board to move forward with a project they said would revive the waterfront site while preserving its musical legacy.

Only one person spoke in opposition to the plan, District 1 resident Jack Stewart, saying the last thing the town needed was another T-shirt shop or margarita bar and questioned why a proposal from the Key West Musician’s Collective was not included on the agenda. He also told members that he favored a second proposal that would just retain the building as a recording studio.

City Property Leasing Manager Gary Moreira said that his office never recieved an official proposal from the collective, which was still on its website as of Wednesday afternoon.

The third proposal for the building was as an express wedding chapel.

Project leader Robert Spottswood told board members he has secured commitments for a licensing agreement from Margaritaville Enterprises to use Jimmy Buffett’s name, image and likeness as part of the redevelopment, though it remains unclear how a revived studio would fit within the broader Margaritaville brand, which spans resorts, retirement communities, cruise ships and other ventures.

Spottswood said final design details still need to be worked out. In addition to the recording studio, the plan calls for a small retail store and an outdoor, roughly 20-seat music venue and Margaritaville bar. He said fitting those elements into the project presents a challenge given the building’s roughly 1,444-square-foot footprint, calling layout and design one of the most difficult aspects of the redevelopment.

He added that the development team intends to begin evaluating the property with city staff, a contractor and an architect to determine what structural repairs and upgrades are needed. That assessment would help provide a more accurate estimate of renovation costs and ongoing maintenance obligations for the city.

Port and Marine Services Director Steve McAlearney said once negotiations are complete, a proposed lease and development agreement would return to the Bight board for approval before being forwarded to the City Commission. That process is expected to begin in June.

Shrimpboat Sound, located along the Historic Seaport, has remained largely unused in recent years despite its ties to Buffett’s recording history. The Berensen-Spottswood proposal envisions restoring the site as a functioning studio paired with limited retail and live-music uses intended to draw both working musicians and visitors back to the waterfront.