Port Canaveral and one of its longtime tenants will try to work out a deal under which the port gets back control of a 300-foot stretch of prime waterfront land it has leased in return for other land on port property where the tenant would like to develop a hotel.
Port commissioners on Wednesday directed the port’s staff to try to negotiate such a deal with members of the Milliken family, who operate Milliken’s Reef restaurant in the port’s Cove district and have a lease on other waterfront land nearby.
The Milliken family is partnering with Mike Shah, founder and president of Cocoa-based Southeast Petro Distributors, on the venture.
Shah said he and his partners would like to develop a “higher-end” hotel on the site they would get from the port in return for the waterfront property.
The Milliken/Shah partnership also hopes to create a “Waterfront Village” with restaurants, entertainment venues and retail outlet on the waterfront land it retains.
