PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — By the end of the month, the Leal family will close the doors to CJ’s On The Island, a neighborhood bar in downtown Treasure Island.
Cherie Leal runs CJ’s with her son Josh.
“I’m so distraught I can’t even think straight anymore," said Leal.
“We’ve always been great tenants here. Survived COVID. Paid our rent through COVID," said Josh.
But it’s not just them.
All the businesses here are already gone or will be soon.
From the plumber to the gym to the laundry mat and nail salon.
They say the owner of the plaza didn’t renew leases, and there’s no chance for any of them to stay.
“We just don’t have a choice. We are done. You know it’s hard to start over. People don’t realize what it takes. How long to build this? Build this up. So it’s tough," said Leal.
Business owners say the trouble really started back around Spring Break when the plaza owner turned most of the parking area into a paid lot.
Parking fees are $8 an hour plus taxes and fees with a two-hour minimum.
That means paying nearly $20 more to get your nails done or do laundry.
"I've probably lost 30-35% of my business since then," said Joe Rhodes, owner of Gulf Coast Coin Laundry.
Customers and even employees got ticketed.
But Treasure Island officials tell ABC Action News the property owners violated city code by not getting approval to make this a paid parking lot.
They have until the end of the month to stop charging for parking, but all the business will likely be out by then.
The city says the owners submitted an initial plan to turn this all into a parking lot.
Business owners here say it all comes down to greed.
“Such a nice local downtown area. Treasure Island. Nobody is going to recognize it when it changes," said Rhodes.
We reached out to the owners of the plaza but have yet to hear back.
CJ’s last day for customers will be July 29.