It was a “no,” but not a “hard no.”
On April 19, Marathon’s Planning Board voted down a hotel project proposed for Crawl Key between Marathon and Grassy Key. For the board, it was a first look at a very detailed, very upscale project called Valhalla Resort, put forward by Johnny Morris Signature Resorts. Morris is the founder of Bass Pro Shops, which also owns Cabela’s sporting stores.
Although the board voted 4-1 to deny the project (see opposite page), some of the board members were nevertheless impressed with the project.
“It’s a magnificent project,” said Planning Board member Mike Leonard. “I love this project, it’s like...