NIGHT CLUB BAN UP FOR VOTE IN ROYAL PALM BEACH
Village council considers stricter rules and definitions.
ROYAL PALM BEACH — At least one restaurant disputes the idea it has tried to dance around a village ban on nightclubs, but council members are poised for a final vote today on a plan to beef up rules addressing live music and events that last into the wee hours.
Live entertainment events at establishments have resulted in “significant use” of sheriff ’s deputies and code-enforcement officers “to preserve the peace and prosecute violations,” according to a village staff report that recommends the rules changes.
Neighboring Wellington is also considering a new nightclub ordinance after two juveniles and three adults were arrested in the Suri West parking lot during an Aug. 24 concert headlined by rapper GlokkNine. The restaurant was closed for the summer but rented out for special events. Five guns and a stolen car were seized, and deputies recovered crack cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.
Royal Palm Beach’s measure won initial 5-to-0 support in a Sept. 20 council meeting. A second and final vote is scheduled for today.
At Top Taste restaurant in the Target plaza on Okeechobee Road west of State Road 7, eatery supporters questioned whether local government is going too far, noting the restaurant has been in that location for eight years and helped build up business for the whole plaza.
Customers want “a place to unwind and have fun,” said manager Shernett Thompson. “There’s not anything like that in Royal Palm Beach.”
After a long work week on the clock, people like to come for food and drinks and sometimes dance to live music, she said. Yes, some have stayed until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. at times, or even later on a holiday weekend, she said.
Now the restaurant is facing a $15,000 fine and is fighting possible eviction from the plaza, she said.
In recent months she said the restaurant has stopped hosting such events and doors are closed by 11 p.m.
A proposed rewrite of village rules would create more specific definitions of restaurants, nightclubs and live music and aim to provide “additional enforcement mechanisms” for violations, a staff report says.
Under certain circumstances, restaurants can apply for special approval to offer things such as live music, but the proposed regulations would restrict the scope of such requests and clarify when village officials can modify or revoke them. The plan also sets out how establishments can appeal.
So how would “restaurant” be defined? For example, it must offer full-course meals throughout all hours of operation, including salad or vegetable, entree and beverage, proposed rules say.
OK, but when does it become a nightclub? A cover charge or drink minimum fits the nightclub definition under the prospective wording.
So does an establishment that offers at least four of these six features: a dance floor, stage, alcohol sales, capacity of 150 or more persons, advertisements for specific events or parties and remaining open between midnight and 7 a.m.