08/30/2026
A Little Note From the Owner 🩵
Today marks 12 years since I entered the world of Gilbert’s. 🌴
And after 12 years, I can truly say: I love this place.
I love what Gilbert’s has always been — a little imperfect, a little wild, very Florida Keys, and full of character. My goal has never been to turn it into some shiny modern resort that could be anywhere. I want to make it more beautiful, more comfortable and better every year without losing the local spirit that makes Gilbert’s Gilbert’s.
And I do it all for you.
Those tiki umbrella tables you love. The traditional chickee huts where you can escape the Florida sun. The big-ass fans keeping everybody alive in August. The new furniture that took me forever to find because it had to be sturdy, colorful and tropical without making the place look like it suddenly moved to South Beach.
Every improvement has a lot of thought and love behind it.
But Gilbert’s isn’t really about furniture, tiki huts or fans.
It’s about people.
I want everyone to know that you are welcome here. I don’t care where you’re from, what you look like, who you love, what language you speak, or whether this is your first visit or your 500th. If you come here to have a good time, respect the people around you and treat our staff with kindness, you belong here.
Our employees work incredibly hard. While you’re relaxing with your family on a Saturday afternoon with a cold drink in your hand, they’re working in that Florida heat to make your day a good one. Please be kind to them. They deserve it.
To our locals — thank you. ♥️ You’ve supported us, celebrated with us and continued to show up day after day.
To our Latin community — thank you for bringing so much love, energy and flavor to Gilbert’s. ♥️We can all coexist. Different accents, different cultures, same cold beer. Open your heart — there’s already enough hate in the world.
To our South Florida family who comes religiously every weekend — thank you for making the drive, sitting in traffic and sometimes parking what feels like three counties away just to spend the day with us.
To our tourists from around the country and around the world — thank you. Some of you stop because you saw the tiki bar from the highway and thought you’d have one quick drink… and somehow you’re still here four days later. That’s Gilbert’s.
To the musicians who fill this place with music, the boaters who pull up to our docks, the families who have made Gilbert’s part of their traditions, and everyone who has ever tagged us in a sunset, danced by the stage or told a friend, “You have to stop at Gilbert’s” — thank you.
And a special thank-you to MCSO and FWC for helping us keep Gilbert’s, our waterways and our community safe. We appreciate what you do more than you probably realize.
The list could go on forever.
Twelve years later, I still walk around this property and see things I want to improve. Things I want to paint. Things I want to fix. Things I want to plant. And things I probably want to buy that accounting wishes I wouldn’t. 😂
But underneath all of that is one simple thing:
I want Gilbert’s to be a place people love coming back to.
A place that still feels like the Florida Keys.
A little salty. A little crazy. Full of music, boats, sunsets, cold drinks, good people and stories you’ll probably tell for years.
Thank you for allowing me to be part of this place for the last 12 years.
Here’s to keeping Gilbert’s beautiful, keeping it local, and keeping our hearts open to everyone who walks through our doors.
