Old Publix plaza coming down in October

First it was supposed to happen in April, then it was September.

But Lakeland-based Publix Supermarkets Inc. officials now say the final piece of the old Avenue of the Flowers plaza will be torn down during the first week of October.

It’s a long time coming for the Longboat Key Town Commission, which wanted the building torn down after Easter, per the company's original plan.

In an email to Town Manager Dave Bullock on Sept. 13, Commissioner Phill Younger expressed his displeasure.

“Given that the original demolition was set to occur last April, five months ago, enough is enough,” Younger wrote. “This building is an eye sore that should be, and needs to be remedied, now.”

Town Planner Steve Schield informed town staff the permit for demolition was filed this week.

Publix officials told Bullock the demolition “ran into some internal rescheduling.”

Per an agreement reached with the town, Publix has until the end of the year to tear down the building.

Officials, though, informed town staff it would be torn down well before the end of the year.

Once the rest of the old plaza is torn down, Publix has plans to put more parking spaces in its place before the Key’s seasonal population returns.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].