NAPLES, Fla. — Collier County is working to reopen its ship stores at its four public marinas after the vendor managing them abruptly left this week, leaving fuel and retail services unavailable for customers.
The vendor, Bluwater Florida, had been contracted to operate the stores since 2023 but left unexpectedly according to the county which said no reason was provided for the departure.
WATCH TO SEE HOW IT IS AFFECTING OPERATIONS AT LOCAL MARINAS:
The closures affected retail and fuel sales; the docks themselves however remain open, according to the county.
County staff are temporarily managing fuel sales at the Port of the Islands Marina and Cocohatchee River Park from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The county said it is also working to get approved food truck vendors to provide snacks, bagged ice, water, sports drinks, and soda at these locations on weekends.
Some boaters said the closures have been inconvenient.
“I usually come here to get some bait, and I found out this morning the bait is no longer available,” said Steve Virgil, who was turned away at the Cocohatchee River Marina on Thursday.
“It does, it makes me have to travel a little bit further to get what I need. It looks like we still launched though,” Virgil added.
Hannah Lewis, another boater, said having the stores open is helpful. “It’s definitely nice to have them open just so, like I said, we can get the snacks, the ice if we need it. It’s hard to trailer our boat all the way downtown and this is closest to our house,” she explained.
Collier County said it is actively searching for a qualified vendor to take over full operations of the ship stores and is working to ensure a smooth and swift transition.
Bluwater Florida did not respond to requests for comment.
