After 50-plus years, Ruskin chamber building closing

The Ruskin Chamber of Commerce building is shutting down after more than 50 years of service.

The Ruskin and Apollo Beach chambers merged two years ago to become South Shore Chamber of Commerce. Since then, the nonprofit group has operated out of both chamber offices.

Those offices are a little more than three miles apart, though, and since the Apollo Beach office is newer and larger, the Ruskin building is being closed June 17.

Ruskin's building is part of the community's history. The Dickman family deeded the property to the Ruskin Chamber of Commerce around 1960. As long as the building was used by the chamber as a chamber, it held the deed, which will revert to the Dickmans in July.