Meeting Time: November 12, 2025 at 4:00pm EST
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Agenda Item

6 25-4719 Requesting the City Manager negotiate a Lease Agreement with Shrimpboat Sound Key West, LLC, for the recording studio located on Lazy Way Lane, formerly occupied by Sails in Concert, Inc; Providing for review or lease terms by the Bight Board and the Community Redevelopment Agency.

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    Brad Kurpjuweit 16 days ago

    Please keep this piece of old Key West intact. Not another for profit bar, but a piece of history. The culture and magic of this town and it's history needs to account for something.

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    Patricia McCoy 16 days ago

    I strongly support leasing the Lazy Way Lane recording studio to Shrimpboat Sound Key West, LLC. This space is a living piece of the Seaport’s creative soul—where music, art, and history come together. Please maintain the heart, keep the soul. This space is so important as it is, and would be even more so as a museum space. Give us somewhere to see, to touch, to take a deep breath. The Seaport isn’t just property; it’s the heartbeat of Key West’s artistic legacy.

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    Helen Briskey 16 days ago

    Please please please! Let Shrimp Boat Sound be a museum! I would spend more money to enter the museum than I would on adult beverages! Plus, the proceeds could be put to great use in Key West!

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    David Hitch 16 days ago

    I have never been to Key West but planning on going there in the future. One of the main reasons is to see Shrimp Boat Studios. That place is history and should be left as a monument to Jimmy Buffet. Thank you

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    Sandra Henderson 16 days ago

    Shrimp Boat Sound isn’t just a studio — it’s part of the soul of the Keys. Legends like Jimmy Buffett recorded there, and its walls still echo with our musical history. We don’t need another bar — we need to protect our culture. Let’s make Shrimp Boat Sound a registered historical landmark and keep it alive as a working studio and music museum. If we can raise money for parties, we can raise it to preserve the soundtrack of the Keys. Let’s keep the music alive, not replace it.

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    Gary Peck 16 days ago

    I believe this is a no brainer of an issue. Without knowing the issues with the building it only makes sense for the proposal to bring back the recording studio and opening it up for tours and merchandise ( which 100% of profits goes back into Key West) Tourist from all over come just to take a picture of that building and I believe it will hurt tourism to take part of Jimmy out of Key West. Mac, Kenny and Zach to names a few would continue the lure of tourists . Thank you for your proposal and your love for Key West!

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    Chris Barkley 16 days ago

    Do the right thing, Key West. This studio is part of your history and identity, a deep root in your community can never be replaced. Make sure that storytellers and musicians can continue to share the spirit, soul, and sound of the Keys with the world and for generations to come.

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    Cynthia White 16 days ago

    Please keep this a recording studio and keep Key West history. Stop paving over paradise.

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    Kim Walsh 16 days ago

    I strongly oppose leasing the Lazy Way Lane recording studio to Shrimpboat Sound Key West, LLC without an open, public process. This space is a living piece of the Seaport’s creative soul—where music, art, and history come together. The Seaport isn’t just property; it’s the heartbeat of Key West’s artistic legacy. Please keep this space alive for our community, for artists, and for the generations who deserve to feel the music and history that make our island so special.

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    Jim Scoma 16 days ago

    Key West’s magic lies in its soul—its music, stories, and sense of belonging that Jimmy Buffett shared with the world. Preserving Shrimpboat Sound isn’t just about saving a studio; it’s about protecting the spirit of “One Human Family.” Awarding this lease honors the legacy that draws visitors seeking authenticity, not commercialization. Let the songs that celebrate paradise continue to echo from the island that inspired them, keeping Key West’s allure alive for generations to come.

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    jan kellum 16 days ago

    Please do the right thing and award to Shrimpboat Sound. Doing so will preserve a very integral part of key West history-a history that Jimmy Buffett was a very important part of. Visitors like myself will continue to visit this irreplaceable building, and bring in much needed dollars to your economy. Replacing it with yet another bar will destroy the memory and what Shrimpboat Sound stood for.

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    Don Walker 16 days ago

    I support the Staff's recommendation of leasing the recording studio to Shrimpboat Sound Key West, LLC. Jimmy Buffett was an Ambassador Par Excellence for Key West and this would be a fitting honor to preserve the recording studio where his magic was made. I was in town a couple of weeks ago and saw many vacant business fronts on Duval that would better suit a Sportswood Margarita and souvenir shop.
    Thank you for your time and consideration

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    Bill Lack 16 days ago

    Jimmy Buffett and Key West are tied together. The music and charitable work of Buffett should be remembered in Key West long after he's passed. What better way to do that than by a working recording studio, where the profits go to charities in the local area? Does Old Town really need another bar? Don't make a mistake here, respecting history is the right decision.

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    Phil Amsterdam 16 days ago

    The Board should take Staff's recommendation and work out a lease for this KW Treasure to remain a recording studio. It will add to the cities flavor.

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    Michelle Adam 16 days ago

    Please negotiate a lease with Shrimpboat Sound Key West, LLC, for the recording studio located on Lazy Way Lane, formerly occupied by Sails in Concert, Inc. This space should remain something for the community instead of a slushy bar for tourists. The history and opportunities this option could have for the community far outweigh the $25,000 unsolicited "donation". Do the right thing and keep this space community instead of accepting the status quo of kickbacks, oooh sorry I mean Unsolicited "Donations".

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    Monica Caceres 16 days ago

    I fully support the staff recommendation to award the lease to Shrimpboat Sound Key West, LLC. This isn’t just about a building—it’s about preserving a piece of Key West’s heart and soul. Shrimpboat Sound is a cultural landmark, a living memory of the music, creativity, and spirit that make this island special. Turning it into another tourist bar would erase something irreplaceable. We already have more than enough places for drinks on the waterfront. Let’s choose preservation over profit. Let’s keep the music alive.

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    Eric Ebersbach 16 days ago

    "Old" Key West is disappearing, more rapidly it seems these days. This is a chance to preserve some of that Key West history while at the same time improving the community. As a frequent visitor from "then mainland" since 1993, Iurge you to accept the Board's recommendation to enter into an agreement with Shrimpboat Sound Key West LLC and keep the spirit of Jimmy Buffett alive and well.

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    Bethany Pyle 16 days ago

    I support the staff recommendation of the lease going to shrimpboat sound llc key West. It will keep the studio alive and help out nonprofits in key West through it's revenue. The boardwalk already has enough margarita options for tourists.

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    Christopher Massicotte 17 days ago

    Please take the staff recommendations and award the lease to Shrimpboat Sound Key West, LLC. their proposal is reasonable and will benefit the community as a whole. People travel from all over to see the studio where all the Key West magic happened, and to place a sticker on it. It is iconic and turning it into a margarita stand would ruin it. We already have enough places to get a drink in that area.

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    Kim Eckhardt 17 days ago

    The board should take the staff recommendations and award the lease to ShrimpBoat Sound Key West. The community will benefit from this lease both directly and indirectly. Residents would like for this decision to benefit our community and not a developer. During my ambassadors program, the Bight Manager said that the city bought the land and properties around the Bight so it would always be available to the community and not closed off by private businesses. Awarding them the lease will keep that vision alive. Do right by our community. Thank you.