After the last of the old fish companies on the Maud Street Dock, the Punta Gorda Fish Company, ceased operation in the late 1970s, the dock fell into ruin. Earl Nightingale, a famous radio personality of the day, discovered the rundown pier with its magnificent view of Charlotte Harbor and envisioned the end of the dock as a setting for a fine dining restaurant. When he partnered with local developer F.M. Donelson and publisher Robert Anderson, the plan expanded beyond a dining venue into a major waterfront tourist attraction that became Fishermen’s Village. After months of planning and negotiating, the team designed a complex with shops, restaurants, apartments, a marina, and tennis courts. When Fishermen’s Village held its grand opening in February 1980, shrimp boats and mullet fishermen could still be seen at the edge of the facility, and pleasure and fishing cruises were part of the early activity, continuing the colorful fishing and boating history of the area.