How was the site lost? History, Founders Park was once a privately owned marina, motel, restaurant and bars. I started doing my seminars there in 1990 and we got along famously.
CABB wanted to start doing a yearly regatta and we introduced them to the venue and the Tradewinds was born.
Then came politics.
the area voted in a new village, to be ruled by themselves instead of the county, nee Islamorada, or Village of Islands (some say Village of Idiots). It was then the fun began.
The new mayor bought the facility to be a town park, and personally bought the adjoining property.
The regatta still managed just fine with the new regime, until they redesigned the beach, tore down the bar, etc. It was then we found it difficult to get to the beach.
Meanwhile, Chip and Barb Short bought the beach concession and figured out a way to get easements to the beach.
Meanwhile the politics has gotten more and more difficult thanks to the town BoD. The director of Founders Park is all for the regatta.

In your asking how we lost the venue, it was not anything the regatta did wrong. We were always orderly and left the place clean. We had good relationships with the park director and staff.

Yep, this is unfair to a perfectly good regatta, who did everything right, but got blindsided by the politicia.

Rick