Joe Patti’s Seafood Company has issued a statement in response to the City of Pensacola’s lawsuit:
For over 90 years, Joe Patti’s Seafood Company has been a cornerstone of Pensacola’s waterfront and a proud part of the city’s rich history.
We were disappointed to learn of the City’s recent decision to file a lawsuit involving our family business. Joe Patti’s Seafood remains an active, thriving enterprise and one of Pensacola’s leading attractions, welcoming visitors from across the country and supporting more than a hundred local employees and their families.
We believe there are constructive and lawful ways to achieve the City’s infrastructure goals while also recognizing private property rights and supporting local businesses that have helped make Pensacola what it is today.
We cannot comment on the City’s lawsuit other than to say that we have retained legal counsel to respond to the claims being made against us.
Our family remains deeply committed to this community and to operating according to the principles that have guided us for generations.
Lawsuit
At his press conference on Tuesday, Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves announced that he had filed a lawsuit against Joe Patti’s Seafood Company and the family’s trust to gain access to property needed for a $7.8 million stormwater project.
- “That stormwater project impacts about 5,000 residents in total,” said the mayor. “We’ve met and communicated, we’ve negotiated with them, we’ve offered alternative routes, business protection measures, and hopefully we’ll continue to find a resolution.”
Reeves insisted the city’s relationship with the popular business and the Patti family is not adversarial. “We have maintained for a few years that some solution needs to be considered. So, because of some of the concerns of using the city’s existing easement across the parking lot, we have tried to entertain every other alternative solution over these three years and will continue to do so, but there are some issues in terms of family trusts and who wants to do what.”
He added, “Our hope and goal is that we get to some resolution that works for everybody, and our conversations will continue with them, and certainly those have been positive conversations in the sense that I think we all want the same goal. We haven’t been able to get the ball moving on a solution. And as you guys can see with your own eyes, construction-wise, that project is aggressively moving, and at some point, the water needs to be able to go somewhere.”
No one wants stormwater pipes that directly outfall into the bay. This type of drainage is killing our bays and bayous. Let’s find a way to work with nature and reclaim the water in wetlands/park settings before it’s dumped right in front of a thriving seafood business along Pensacola Bay. The Patti’s do not deserve being the dump for all this new development. Find another way.
Building everything first and fixing infrastructure later is like locking the barn door after the horse has bolted. How in the world were these permits issued? Pitiful!!!
Is it possible to see the plans for this project?
This is absolutely horrible. To sue a family business that has been a staple of Pensacola for many many years. This is political and totally uncalled for. People come from all around to purchase Joe Patti’s Seafood. Their seafood is always fresh and comes out of the Gulf of Mexico. It is not farm raised. I think in my opinion, the city of Pensacola needs to leave this family owned business alone. Find an alternative for what you were planning. Do not destroy this land, Mark
Will this finally lead to the recall election that mayor reeves so desperately deserves? Just about every resident in this city has been crapped on by this guy (paid parking, Malcolm young, red light cameras, Chief Randall s firing, Adrian Stills firing, shady buy/sell real estate deals, questionable contracts with experts, downtown businesses from reimagine palafox, the list goes on and on. He just crossed a line. Inside money vs outside money just went to war. Things are about to get really interesting.
It wasn’t adversarial until now.
For Gods sake leave this company alone!!!! I think the greater majority are just plain sick and tired of the government trying to take control of our lives, our possessions, our income and our dignity!!!!
DC is a young kid that’s on a power trip trying to make a name for himself he’s been told what to do and what to say he’s not smart enough to do the homework for himself. His father is a bug time developer that was mention at a townhall meeting. So he doesn’t know or understand his lack of education and knowledge how it is going to effect him for the rest of his life and his generation to come behind him.just the mention of your last name son is goingvto be a bitter taste in people mouth.
It’s their property, the City doesn’t have any rights to take it. I’m one of their devoted costumers from Fort Walton Beach.
This place of business is trying to support its family while providing service to alot of patrons.Trying to block off there business is not only affecting them but the employees also.Why do you have to dig right at their front door.Joe Patties isn’t the only place of business putting up a fuss.All of the mom and pop stores on Palafox have issue with this.
DC Revess is a puppet. Follow the money. He is not running for mayor again. Contracts signed. All about money. He works for big money. Not Pensacola. Engineers can reroute sewer line. But big money wants to make waterline bay area. A destination for the rich. Let’s be real. Who in Pensacola can afford the condos being built. Maybe 2%. Gambling coming to town. Hard Rock. Joe Patti’s will win in court. Good people for the community. DC Reeves a fukin joke. Working for Major League ball park owners. Remember 5 yrs ago. Land could never be developed. Because of contamination. Now condos going up like crazy. Remember Fish Hatchery. Got said NO. Now a park. If Joe Patti’s Seafood gets eliminated. No 1 else will survive. They are family owners. For ever. In Pensacola. So they get eliminated. Big money takes over. Bet. People. Follow the money. Whomever owns the Wahoos. Is behind it all. I’ll bet you. A organization out of Wisconsin is the money people. . And DT palafox needs to hold their own. Shop local. And tell DC Reeves to shut the fuk up
He a puppet for big boys. Back ground check. He was a right hand man. For Blue Wahoo owner. Any ?s. Also look who DC Reeves daddy is. Behind everything. .
Have a good day.
The City of Pensacola does not maintain their storm drains properly. I have a storm drain easement on my property and have had sinkholes and collapsed resting walls ignored by the city. Their solution is to fill the sinkholes with dirt, which then washes away with the next storm. I’m watching my property wash away into the bay, while the city does nothing to fix or maintain their storm drains properly. The Paatis should continue to fight the installation of a storm drain on their property in my opinion.
I am an Italian-American, and I think our people have contributed much to this country, and I would say as it pertains to Joe Patti’s Seafood, they are vital to our community, and I like many other Pensacolians am grateful for all they do for our community.
I am proud to have Monteleone blood running through my veins, on my grandfather’s mama’s side, and I just want to say, I will always be proud to be Italian.