Commentary: Let's Face Facts -- Brett's Has To Go

By Mike Phillips

So here we go again.

Yet another well-respected engineering firm has told Fernandina Beach that the substructure under Brett’s Waterway Cafe, a popular tourist destination in the middle of the city’s marina, is a hazard.

It flunked last year’s inspection and just flunked this year’s inspection. Both firms clearly and forcefully said the Brett’s building should be closed to the public until made safe. This year’s firm said the situation is even worse this year than last year.

Last year, the city tried to close Brett’s but ultimately backed down when smart lawyers caught it in a procedural error. This year, it just backed down.

Well, not quite. This year, the head of the building department did issue some orders that at least make a bow toward public safety. But if you were expecting a more vigorous response, your own response should be to cross your fingers.

Finger-crossing is a form of gambling practiced by people who can’t do anything else. But the city clearly has both the right and the obligation to do the right thing and close the Brett’s building until it has been made safe or demolished.

Demolition would be the best course.

As the city pursues its riverfront stabilazation project from Atlantic Seafood on around to Alachua Street, it will have to demolish the Brett’s building anyway. That’s the only way to take out the deteriorating concrete under Brett’s and build a seawall that will protect downtown from flooding as ocean levels rise.

And if you think wet feet downtown won’t destroy Fernandina’s tourism – well, don’t bother arguing with city leaders, business leaders and the doughty crew at the Observer.

Everybody knows what the long-term solution is. But what about short-term? The short-term challenge is -- try not to be surprised -- money. The Brett’s lease has two years to run. It would cost the city a million dollars and some change to buy the tenant out.

But that’s not the only problem. The new commission clearly thinks it’s smarter than previous commissions. So it isn’t likely to do anything that it suspects previous commissions of endorsing.

And yet, there is a potential public safety disaster sitting right in the middle of the marina. The forces undermining Brett’s foundations don’t care about politics. They will just keep eroding away.

Until something happens.

---

The opinions expressed in commentaries belong only to the author.