Gramps Getaway is fighting a marina redevelopment plan that the bar’s supporters fear could replace the Virginia Key waterfront bar. The proposed operators say they want Gramps to stay, but their public offer calls for talks on a future lease.

The dispute has put the bar at the center of the campaign against Miami Referendum 3. City of Miami voters will decide the marina lease question on November 3.

Gramps sits at 3301 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, inside Rickenbacker Marina. The open-air bar faces the Downtown and Brickell skylines. It grew out of the original Gramps in Wynwood and took over the former Whiskey Joe’s space.

Its appeal is tied to that setting: covered outdoor seating, boats passing by and room to spend time by the bay. Time Out described the layout in its 2024 review. Gramps’ own restaurant listing offers a full food menu, raw bar, cocktails and beer.

What the campaign wants to protect

The Save Gramps Getaway campaign urges a No vote. It warns that the bar and the family-run marina could be pushed out. The site is a paid political advertisement by Florida for JMR Inc.

The Miami Herald reported on October 14 that owner Adam Gersten wants to preserve the bar’s current setting, not just keep its name. The Herald also reported that his lease with the current marina operator runs month to month.

The campaign has moved beyond signs at the bar. An October 11 invitation asked volunteers to join a phone bank with Congressman Maxwell Frost at Gramps or online. WLRN separately documented Vote No signs at the marina entrance and inside the bar.

What the proposed operators say

The pro-project campaign says Gramps is not being asked to leave. It promotes a new public baywalk, shaded paths and more waterfront dining as part of the marina plan.

In an August 24 letter to Gersten, Suntex Marinas executive David Filler wrote that both Suntex and its partner, RCI Group, want Gramps to remain.

Filler said the marina could be upgraded while keeping Gramps. He invited Gersten to discuss how they could work together, including the terms of a future lease. The letter offers talks, rather than setting out agreed rent or a new lease term for the bar.

What is on the ballot

The official sample ballot asks whether Miami should lease about 27.62 acres to Virginia Key LLC. The proposal covers the Rickenbacker and Marine Stadium marinas.

The initial lease would last 45 years, with two possible 15-year renewals. It calls for at least $2.2 million in annual rent, rising over time, plus 6% of gross revenue — money brought in before expenses.

It also calls for about $80 million in private investment in boat storage, restaurants, shops and public parking. For Gramps, the question beyond the vote is what any future lease would allow the bar to keep: its place on the water and the setting its owner is campaigning to save.