Recovery for local Nokomis & Venice waterfront store

If you’ve ever strolled down the ICW passing the Albee Rd Bridge near Nokomis Beach and the Venice Jetty, chances are you’ve stopped into MoJo’s Dockside bait shop and store in front of Gulf Harbor Marina. The name “MoJo” comes from the owners names Monique and Joe Senese. In 2020 Mo and Joe liquidated everything and bought their dream business, a waterfront bait shop. Since then it has been a true family business with Joe, Mo and their two young daughters working the store. The Senese family shares a deep love of the Gulf of Mexico, fishing and the Venice/Nokomis community. Joe’s vast local fishing and bait knowledge coupled with Mo’s face ALWAYS greeting you with a smile at the dock made their store a favorite with the locals and snowbirds alike. While they have endured and recovered over the last few years of extreme weather, Hurricane Helene took a large toll on their business. Due to the business being on a dock they are not eligible for any kind of flood or named storm coverage. The store was completely swallowed by the storm surge coupled with the high tide conditions. They suffered a near total loss. While the shell of business structure is still somewhat in tact, the mechanicals, coolers, freezers, bait tanks and store inventory was destroyed. Mo and Joe have treated the business as another member of their family for the last 4 years, having never taken a vacation and been open 363 days a year for the boating community in Venice and Nokomis. The goal amount set would offset a large portion of the equipment replacement, bait and inventory restock to open back up again in the coming weeks and help pay some bills at home as they work hard to recover and reopen. Any donation would be greatly appreciated by the Senese family while they forge their path moving forward as a family and a business. Thank you and we pray everyone can continue to move forward as best they can with their recoveries from this disaster that stretches from Florida to North Carolina.

Fundraiser organized by Captain Scott Carns of Sarasota By Sea Boat Charters.