The City of Miami finally got around to paving over paradise. Miami Herald video shot Wednesday shows bulldozers demolishing dinghies and tow trucks carrying away painted buses as Jimbo's, Miami's beloved shrimp shack, is dismantled.
Watch the video above for the very sad demolition.
Jim Luznar, the 85-year-old purveyor of the seafood joint, reportedly sent a letter to Mayor Tomas Regalado that he was giving back the Virginia Key real estate to the city.
The former shrimper was kicked off waterfront land that now houses the Miami Herald in 1954. In return, he was given the current spot of Jimbo's lease-free.
Widely considered the last unpretentious place in Miami, Jimbo's Place served as the background to shows like "Dexter" and "Flipper" in addition to serving up smoked fish, beer, and bocce ball.
Esquire voted it one of the best bars in America, saying "it's not just in Miami but of it."
But Luznar's March letter may not have been the man's true wishes for the site.
Another letter surfaced, dated April 2, in which Luznar asks that the land be devoted to an environmentally sustainable shrimping operation and that it remain a gathering place for Miamians.
In the letter, he writes that he wants movies to continue to use the space and for kayak and bike rentals to make it "one of the most popular and desirable places to be in all of Miami and South Florida."
As the wrecking ball comes down on the eccentric shrimp shack, it may be too late to save Jimbo's.
But there's still time to save another venue that provides a rare foil to South Beach glamourrhea.
Nearby Scotty's Landing is at risk for losing its lease on the hidden waterfront at Grove Key Marina.
Read the best descriptions of Jimbo's in the below slideshow:
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