Fort Pierce's Crabby's Dockside abruptly closed after the city ordered payment of overdue rent and property taxes. The waterfront restaurant, which opened in 2020, owed four months of rent plus approximately $215,000 in unreimbursed property taxes spanning three years. City Manager Richard Chess sent a notice on February 5 demanding payment by February 15.

City officials disputed the restaurant's claim that closing was "a decision not within our control." Commissioner Michael Broderick stated the closure resulted from tenant default, not city action. The lease required annual rent of $159,558 plus percentages of beverage, food, and ice cream sales. The city paid three years of property taxes upfront when the county billed them simultaneously, then invoiced Crabby's for reimbursement.

Chess expressed frustration that staff failed to alert him about the unpaid obligations sooner. The city plans to resolve title issues and seek a new operator for the prime marina location. Commissioners indicated several potential restaurateurs have already expressed interest in the former Original Tiki Bar site, suggesting the city sees this closure as an opportunity to secure a better tenant.