Paradise Ocean Club to reopen
Owner confirms that he signed a 10-year lease agreement
HAMPTON — After an almost two-year absence amid heated lease negotiations, the popular Paradise Ocean Club is expected to reopen this May with some new stipulations.
Club owner Baxter Simmons confirmed Wednesday he signed a new 10-year-lease agreement with the National Park Service to reopen the club at the same Fort Monroe location. The lease started March 1 and will continue until Dec. 31, 2033, according to Simmons.
“It’s a big relief, because it’s been a ongoing negotiation for two years now,” Simmons said of the lease being signed.
National Park Service spokesperson John Warren also confirmed the lease was signed.
Simmons said plans to begin hiring 120-150 staff positions for the club in the next couple of weeks. He is aiming to open the club in early to mid-May.
Simmons operated the club for 10 years out of the former officers’ club property at former Army post. He was in the middle of renegotiating a lease when the club was forced to close in 2022 after the park service abruptly ended negotiations.
The park service subsequently issued a new request for proposals to reopen bidding to lease the property to other businesses. Simmons reentered lease negotiations in an attempt to reopen his business. But last year’s summer beach season came and went without any agreement.
Part of the issue, according to Simmons, was the condition of the former officers’ club. His attorney flagged outstanding issues regarding the state of the property, including damage to the building he said occurred after his businesses ceased
operations. Simmons wanted NPS to either adjust the lease terms or provide rent credits so that Paradise Ocean Club could address the damage.
There were also disputes over the number of patrons that should be allowed on the premises. Simmons’ attorney accused the park service of engaging in “blatantly discriminatory conduct” by “taking actions which will permanently close down a popular beach facility frequented by the underserved local African American community.”
Before the Paradise Ocean Club closed in 2022, park service officials raised concerns about “public disturbances” and safety problems at Fort Monroe’s North Beach area. One person was shot and injured in a parking area adjacent to the beach. Simmons also said the park service also complained about crowd behavior and skimpy swimwear.
However, Simmons said in a recent phone interview that the park service has made “fair concessions” in the lease and that “we can work with it.” He said he plans a new version of the club and is going to change the entertainment programming to focus on more family-friendly entertainment.
“It won’t be the same, you know, heavy entertainment aspect of the club like he was,” he said.
“But that’s OK. You know, we can tone it down some and still be profitable, run a good family operation out there.”
According to Simmons, the new lease limits capacity to 1,000 people and there will be no more boat access, as the park service doesn’t want anyone entering the venue from the water.
As for the conditions of the club building, Simmons said the National Parks Service will work with the club to do some rent reimbursement for major repairs. He said the club will pay $210,000 annually to lease the space.
Simmons said he has been working with the park service since last summer and had positive conversations with the NPS’s new superintendent, Jaci Wells, who he said “was a big catalyst” in helping advance the lease negotiations.
“She has been very good to work with so far,” he said. “She was very responsive to some of our concerns and helped us negotiate a few of the last points in the lease.”