Sitting at Oasis Café's swinging chairs with a cocktail while enjoying the ocean breezes was a favorite pastime for both locals and tourists alike for more than two decades.
But soon, the simple enjoyment of some conch fritters and a piña colada alfresco will end once Oasis Café closes on Fort Lauderdale Beach.
The café, which sits on city-owned property, is being thrown out of the prime spot it's been on for the past 21 years.
See also: American Vintage Classic Bar and Grill Opens in Fort Lauderdale
According to the Sun Sentinel, the café owes the city more than $130,000 in past-due rent and taxes. Fort Lauderdale City Commissioners voted yesterday at a regularly scheduled meeting to evict Oasis Café.
The agenda item, listed as resolution number 15-0127, states that the property, located at 600 Seabreeze Blvd., was acquired by the City of Fort Lauderdale in 1948 and was leased to 615 Beach Oasis Corp. (Oasis Café) on March 3, 1994. The lease expired February 15, 2014, and Oasis has remained on the property for the past year without a lease.
Fred Bousquet, a manager at Oasis Café, confirmed that the café didn't have a current lease with the city and that the owners and the city couldn't agree to terms. Though Bousquet wouldn't comment further on the commission's eviction decision, he did say that "21 years was a nice run." When asked whether there were plans to relocate the café, Bousquet said he wasn't sure, since the space is ideal for Oasis' concept. "This was like a custom spot."
The City of Fort Lauderdale is accepting sealed bids from prospective new tenants, with a filing deadline of April 21.
Follow Laine Doss on Twitter @LaineDoss and Facebook.
Follow @CleanPlateBPB
