MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The battle into how to keep Miami Beach safe is growing.
Restaurant and club owners say the proposed Last Call law will destroy their businesses instead of curbing crime.
It’s been an ongoing debate that is likely coming to an end soon, and the race to sway voters is heating up…Miami Beach style.
On Wednesday, Mango’s Tropical Cafe treated a group of senior citizens to dinner and a show in an attempt to convince them to vote against rolling back last call time from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. in the entertainment district.
“I’m concerned for mine and my neighbors safety, but having said that, I’m also concerned for the economic impact the roll back is going to have on the beach,” one of the diners told Local 10 News.
City officials say the proposed roll back is a response to a month’s long wave of chaos, bad behavior and even deadly crime in the city.
Hotel owner Mitch Novick says it’s time.
“The roll back is necessary, we have to break this party till you drop image,” Novak said.
City officials approved the roll back in May, but it was reversed after a judge ruled it violated zoning rules and a businesses’ right to due process.
The owner of Mango’s points to more policing as the answer to the violence issue. He believes rolling back last call puts his and other businesses at a dangerous loss.
“Now that’s not money that just goes to me, it’s money that goes to my staff,” said Mango’s owner David Wallace.