Everglades City Railroad Depot owner given more time to fix up building, make it safe

With little fanfare and without mentioning the owner's name, Everglades City officials agreed to give the owner of the old railroad depot more time to get the building in usable condition.At a Code Enforcement Board meeting in September, Terry Smallwood told board members he spoke to the depot's owner, Bill Odrey, and he had satisfied some of the code violations to secure the building. Smallwood recommended Odrey be allowed more time to satisfy the rest of the violations.

Code violation notices and a deadline sent in August

Everglades City sent violation notices to Odrey in August after complaints from city council members and residents who saw kids playing at the unprotected site. City officials then asked Naples Greater Fire Rescue District and Collier County Growth Management District to inspect the building. Collier County declared the building dangerous because of the possibility of part of it falling or collapsing and injuring someone, and that part of all of the building is likely to collapse.

"Based on the inspection findings, the building above was found to be dangerous and unsuitable for the safe occupancy of its intended purpose. Immediate repairs up to and including demolition are required," Collier County Chief Building Officer Frederic B. Clum wrote in an Aug. 18 letter, obtained by Naples Daily News via an open records request. Odrey was given 30 days to comply or appeal.

Since then, Odrey, who lives in Atlanta, has owned the 1928 building since 2014 under the name Everglades Adventure Center, said he has been trying to secure a loan or find an investor to help him repair the building. Odrey sees the building, previously used as a restaurant and bar, as a community center for the city first. After that, he wants to use the patio for catering and eventually reopen as a restaurant and use it as a tourist attraction for visitors who come in by trolley from Naples and other areas.

"I wanted something for families, where parents could sit on the deck and watch their kids paddle.," Odrey said in a phone interview.

Sitting mostly untouched since 2018, the building was further damaged by hurricanes Ian and Idalia. After complaints about safety and upkeep, the property now has plastic fencing around it to keep people out. The grass also is being mowed regularly. Several holes in the roof remain uncovered, the docks are falling into the water and the back patio is falling apart. Odrey said his plan is to "repair deck, patch roof until financing becomes available to have a new roof put on."

Odrey attended a Sept. 19 Code Enforcement Board meeting via Zoom. That day he sent a letter to Smallwood, Everglades City Mayor Howie Grimm Jr. and City Clerk Dottie Joiner outlining his plan and reminding them that he operated a business in the depot from 2015 to 2018. The building was damaged during Hurricane Irma in September 2017 and the following year, code enforcement officials shut down operations because of safety violations.

"I used all income from my business to make continual repairs," Odrey wrote. "The building was in a very poor state when I purchased it."

Odrey, who bought the building for $450,000, has a mortgage on the property and said he can't get a loan on a business that isn't open. Now, he is trying to get a nonprofit designation for Save the Everglades City Depot, currently a website created to raise awareness, money and volunteers.

'The building – it’s tremendous': Owner still hopes to rebuild depot

"I have to find some financing, or I have to sell the building," Odrey said. "I need to fix things up so I can bring a trolley down with people to enjoy the Everglades and put the money back into it. None of the banks are interested in this."

Odrey said he hopes that creating a company that is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization will attract more donations and allow him to apply for grants to save the building.

The depot was used by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, which opened the depot in 1928, according to historical records. The railroad line ran from Immokalee to Everglades City from 1928–1956.  It carried freight and passengers.  The station was closed in the 1956.  Later, it was converted into a restaurant called the Old Station Restaurant.  After that, other restaurants used the depot, including Everglades Seafood Depot and Restaurant and Everglades Outdoor Center.

"The whole building is concrete. The pilers are concrete. The only things that need replaced are roof trusses," he said. "It needs to be re-trussed and new types of air conditioners. And then just cleaned. It’s not going to be hard to fix up. And once it’s fixed up, it will be good for another 100 years. There’s nothing structurally wrong with it."

City officials want an engineer to confirm the structural integrity of the building. Odrey said he is working on that and is bringing a contractor from Atlanta with him on Oct. 12.

"The building – it’s tremendous. It’s old Florida. It will stand forever," he said.

Odrey said he has set a deadline for himself of Nov. 1 to decide whether he can get money and support for the building. If not, he said he will talk to developers about selling.

"I have been holding off these developers for almost a year," Odrey said. "I’m just praying to the Lord that everything will happen OK. I just love that place."

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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Everglades City railroad depot owner still wants to save building