Margaritaville Red Flags

What Texas City deserves to know!

There’s been a lot of talk about Margaritaville coming to Texas City — so let’s clear up the facts.

City leadership explored the opportunity after visiting a Minto-developed 55+ community in South Carolina. For over 18 months, our City Engineer worked closely with the developer to move the project forward — even while other city projects were put on hold.

Despite the city making 30+ concessions, several serious concerns surfaced:

1.  The developer wanted to gate off public (spinal) roads at Emmett Lowery Expressway

2.  Amenities would be exclusive to residents only

3.  A $25M Amenity Center structured as a non-profit — paying no taxes

4.  A 55+ community brings no benefit to TCISD, which needs student enrollment

5.  Potential legal concerns due to excessive concessions

6.  No long-term commitment to the Margaritaville brand

7.  Refusal to include “Texas City” in the development name

8.  Attempting to dictate who the City Engineer should be

Let me be clear.... you don’t get to tell Texas City who we hire.

And here’s the truth behind the question:

“Did the Mayor cancel Margaritaville?”

No.

The developer never submitted the required application. Without it, the project could not move forward through Planning & Zoning — or come before the Commission for a vote.

That’s not politics — that’s process.

Texas City will always welcome smart development ... but not at the expense of our taxpayers, our schools, or our standards.

I will always stand for transparency, accountability, and protecting what matters most to Texas City.

RE-ELECT Thelma Bowie for Commissioner At-Large