The attack against Grove restaurants continues
There is something else going down in the Grove now and it is hurting the merchants and everyone who owns a business. And I don't think this is intentional, but it's happening.
There is a "no noise" ordinance after 11 pm and apparently some of the restaurants get loud at that time, particularly on Commodore Plaza. The neighbors who live close by are annoyed at the holiday crowds who are enjoying the season.
One resident in Camp Biscayne is selling his house because he is "sick of the noise," according to a neighbor and others have put in hurricane impact windows to buffer the sound, but apparently it is still quite loud. The neighbors are now resorting to calling the police and politicians. These neighbors choose to live a block or so away from the Central Business District, and then they want to complain about the businesses in the Central Business District.
And because of the complaints, in come the police, but the police are not really going in respectfully, they are showing up at midnight in SWAT uniforms to inspect licenses and even to see if the bathrooms have soap, according to one restaurant owner. This is intimidation and harassment. They are trying to find something in order to fine the establishments. So they go back again and again.
They are doing this more than once a week at the same establishments which in turn is scaring their business away. Many of these places on Commodore cater to an older crowd, so picture your parents or friends at one of these places enjoying a late night dinner and picture the SWAT team invading the place. Not a pretty thing. A younger crowd might laugh it off, but I don't think these older folks are going to appreciate that and return.
All this does it hurt business in the Grove. The customers are going to Midtown, Coral Gables or South Miami now. They are not returning to the Grove because of this. The customers are respectable people being put in an embarrassing situation and all they are doing is enjoying a night out. They are not going to stand for this. They are just leaving and not coming back.
The neighbors need to meet with the restaurant and bar owners. The neighbors need to understand that these businesses could be put out of business because of this harassment. The economy is hurting now. We don't need to encourage people not to spend money in the Grove. All of the Grove suffers in the end.
The business owners need to lower the sound. Maybe they can't control the laughter and loud talk of their patrons, but they can lower the music a bit and put themselves in the neighbors' shoes.
The police need to get real and stop acting as if this is a Communist state. Code enforcement needs to back off, too. Barging into businesses at all hours to "inspect" the place while customers sit terrified is harassment and uncalled for. Police need to have a little dignity. Licenses can easily be inspected in the daytime, by plain clothes officers, not storm troopers.
There is a "no noise" ordinance after 11 pm and apparently some of the restaurants get loud at that time, particularly on Commodore Plaza. The neighbors who live close by are annoyed at the holiday crowds who are enjoying the season.
One resident in Camp Biscayne is selling his house because he is "sick of the noise," according to a neighbor and others have put in hurricane impact windows to buffer the sound, but apparently it is still quite loud. The neighbors are now resorting to calling the police and politicians. These neighbors choose to live a block or so away from the Central Business District, and then they want to complain about the businesses in the Central Business District.
And because of the complaints, in come the police, but the police are not really going in respectfully, they are showing up at midnight in SWAT uniforms to inspect licenses and even to see if the bathrooms have soap, according to one restaurant owner. This is intimidation and harassment. They are trying to find something in order to fine the establishments. So they go back again and again.
They are doing this more than once a week at the same establishments which in turn is scaring their business away. Many of these places on Commodore cater to an older crowd, so picture your parents or friends at one of these places enjoying a late night dinner and picture the SWAT team invading the place. Not a pretty thing. A younger crowd might laugh it off, but I don't think these older folks are going to appreciate that and return.
All this does it hurt business in the Grove. The customers are going to Midtown, Coral Gables or South Miami now. They are not returning to the Grove because of this. The customers are respectable people being put in an embarrassing situation and all they are doing is enjoying a night out. They are not going to stand for this. They are just leaving and not coming back.
The neighbors need to meet with the restaurant and bar owners. The neighbors need to understand that these businesses could be put out of business because of this harassment. The economy is hurting now. We don't need to encourage people not to spend money in the Grove. All of the Grove suffers in the end.
The business owners need to lower the sound. Maybe they can't control the laughter and loud talk of their patrons, but they can lower the music a bit and put themselves in the neighbors' shoes.
The police need to get real and stop acting as if this is a Communist state. Code enforcement needs to back off, too. Barging into businesses at all hours to "inspect" the place while customers sit terrified is harassment and uncalled for. Police need to have a little dignity. Licenses can easily be inspected in the daytime, by plain clothes officers, not storm troopers.
posted by Tom Falco at 11:00 AM
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26 Comments:
I am beginning to think Grapevine just doesn't think rules apply to persons and business in Coconut Grove. There are rules, regulations, codes, etc., and whether you agree with them or not, persons and businesses need to abide by them.
If code enforcement didn't complete inspections, some of these restaurants could be health hazards and we would continue to eat there because, in your opinion, the grove should be immune.
These businesses are aware of the codes and regulations when they set up shop. If they are unaware, they didn't do their due dilligence prior to lease or purchase. If they chose to ignore the regulations, there should be consequences.
I am beginning to think Grapevine just doesn't think rules apply to persons and businesses in Coconut Grove. There are rules, regulations, codes, etc., and whether you agree with them or not, persons and businesses need to abide by them.
If code enforcement didn't complete inspections, some of these restaurants could be health hazards and we would continue to eat there because, in your opinion, the grove should be immune.
These businesses are aware of the codes and regulations when they set up shop. If they are unaware, they didn't do their due dilligence prior to lease or purchase. If they chose to ignore the regulations, there should be consequences.
You seem to find this harassment to be ok, the Village Council, Center Grove Assn. and Merchants Assn., BIC, the Chamber etc. are upset. Meetings are now being set up with Code, The City and all of these groups to find out what it's all about.
The chamber of commerce has offered their office up for the meeting. It is in the works.
Grapevine brought this to light because it is a major issue. These restaurants are in compliance and always have been. The reason code keeps coming back to us day after day is because they don't find anything and they will keep coming back until they do.
HARASSMENT! PURE AND SIMPLE. IT'S ABOUT MONEY!
Sounds more like a shake down. I do think that Le Petite has gone overboard. How will you see the King Mango Strut Parade
Where does all this noise come from around Commodore Plaza? The Tavern, SandBar, Moes, Mr Frog, they are usually pretty quiet behind closed doors, and rarely have live bands there or a couple of Jazz little bands in front of the Moulin?
I mean is the Grove supposed to be a Convent or something now, denying the visiting crowds, just because of a few neighbors who should be living elsewhere, a couple blocks away? I don't hear the noise anyway even walking by most nights, after 3 years here.
Of COURSE it's about the Greedy City of Miami, looking for Money and having nothing else better to do than checking for soap on our public bathrooms.
Anon #1 your comments are an insult to every law abiding business in the grove. Grapevine is stating the true facts it has nothing to do with not following the law.
if you think swat teams are needed to check for licenses and soap dishes at 1 am then you really are not understanding the issue here.
When you have connections and money in Miami you can do whatever you want, including hire the police and the local government to be your private mobsters. If you are struggling and working hard to make money in Miami, in face of the mob, then you are just out of luck. Hopefully there is on good judge in the whole city who will just hear you.
SWAT uniformed inspection? This is a new low. By the way, USA Today has an article on the most corrupt US states and we are all the way up there. Yippee!
The GROVE SHOULD BECOME ITS OWN CITY A7 LET GRAPEVINE RUN IT!!!The politicians here are corrupt and looking out for themselves....
Amen to that! anon at 1:36pm.
If the noise from restaurants and bars truly is excessive, it's an opportunity for sound reduction design and execution. There are ways to reduce sound emanating from a building. It's not up to people several blocks away to retrofit their homes to accommodate.
If the noise is from outside the buildings, such as on sidewalks and parking structures, it should be addressed there.
I would agree that use of SWAT is uncalled for, and is a waste of taxpayer money. Excess use of resources is something the city council needs to address. Excessive overtime is another hot issue these days. Money is tight and that's going to be getting worse.
Seen money exchange with inspector right here in Coconut Grove. One department now another Miami department?
Not so surprising given the history.
Business as usual from a culture that invited the mafioso.
Anyone remember the Mafia made Cuba it's homebase.
What if you lived in the building right next to what you thought was a new office complex, then the Indian restaurant relocates there and had a LOUD party last Thursday night that went till 3am and you had a life or death exam the next day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The noise is not coming from the restaurants that want or have live music. It's coming from Coco Walk, vehicular traffic, the belly dancing cafe, and a few bars that have their recorded music too loud.
It's not from the sidewalk muscians..the traffic is louder than we are..How much more gentrification can the Grove take? How many more independent businesses can the landlords force out and rent to national chains?
3:27 ... you obviously haven't been in the Grove very long. That building was never an office complex, the Anokha space was always a restaurant and the upstairs had a succession of nightclubs in the past, the kind that don't get going until midnight. Sorry you had to suffer through the noise when you had an exam, though. What I think is sad is that Anokha has been forced to stoop to turning its space over to promoters for these stupid parties because their business is sucking air. Their food is good but who wants to pay as much for Indian food as you do at a good steak place?
The question on my mind is, what is the benefit for the city in harassing Grove restaurants? If this is indeed a scheme to intentionally harass the business owners, what is the end-game?
Ignoring enforcing noise ordinances near residential areas? Wow.
I really applaud the neighbors for calling the police after 11 pm. There is a noise ordinance? Then it is an ordinance for everyone, and the police needs to enforce it.
Many bars and restaurants in New York have tons of signs urging patrons to be considerate of neighbors and keep the noise down. It seems to work well in The Village.
Some Miami restaurants are highly inconsiderate and being subjected to noise night after night is really stressful.
Want to hear some loud noise, try living in the Sonesta or Harbour House Condos across the street from the roof top club Cabana One in the Mayfair. We were told by the police that they are aware of the problem and are on the case. What ever that means.... Although tonight it is quiet and closed.
somehow business have come under the impression that music is good for business.
it is not.
i walked out of the fresh market yesterday because they were playing loud music inside.
everywhere you go now, 'they' are playing loud music. too much.
music 'all the time' doesn't create a relaxing environment that makes you want to browse and buy more,
it makes you want to hurry up and get the heck out of there and go home to where it is (hopefully) quite.
thats why business are hurting !
when you have control over it, music can be relaxing,
when someone else has control over it, it is stressful.
i quit going to book stores (all on amazon now),
reading is a quiet past time,
you don't read with loud music on,
why would they think i would browse books with loud music on.
the manger at 24 hour fitness has started playing the music very loud,
i am on a treadmill with a small radio with ear buds on,
and i can't listen to the TVs because the music coming from the overhead speakers is on so loud.
most of the people in there have their on personal music device,
they don't want to listen to the crap the manager is playin, or it's volume.
i wish the fitness center never closed.
lastly, we are not a homogeneous culture any more.
what you consider music, other people consider s***.
what you consider soft, others consider loud.
buses will soon have TVs blaring at you!
who sold who this idea ?
if you relax noise ordnances because 'business is off, times are hard',
how do you then start enforcing it when the economy picks up ?
DOES ANYONE RECALL THE LOUD CARS WITH BASS BLARING ALL THE WAY DOWN GRAND STARTING AT US 1 AND MAKING THE ROUNDS?
No one complained then and no one was ticketed then...now all the sudden people are complaining about music that doesn't exist. The law states it can't be heard beyond 100 feet. (at least for certain bars that I know of) and for those bars, you hear more voices over the music that is being played INSIDE. For most of the places like Moe's, Tavern, Sandbar, etc....go stand 100 feet from them and see if you hear THEIR music.
I do know that apparently people are complaining about Cabana One. You can't hear it from the ground but people up in the Sonesta can hear their music blaring. I would be a little annoyed by this too. Oh well, you stay in the Grove as a tourist, you understand the environment you are in. Deal with it.
Personally, I love it when restaurants and other establishments don't have soap in the restrooms.
This lets me know that I and all of the other patrons AND employees can use the facilities and return to their dinners with dirty hands...
YUM! I can't wait for the diarrhea episode because I ate some bacteria from a food servers hands.
Code Enforcement is necessary to protect the public from blatant violators.
The whole noise thing is something I'll never understand. People these days seem to think that the louder something is, the more fun they're having. Maybe I missed that gene, but I can't stand all the noise. I've simply stopped going to parties, and if I have to go to a fund-raiser I take earplugs.
The Grove was much better, and by better I mean more fun and more profitable, when there were more Bars. Remember Cocowalk with Marino's, Baja, and Howl at the Moon? People came from all over to come to the Grove and SPEND their money. Look at the Mayfair. Since Cafe Iguanas and the Martini bar left all the other businesses have suffered. It's simple. The Grove needs poeple to come from all over South Florida to spend their money. Well, people make noise. Those people walk around the Grove. They see the new bookstore. They see a new shoe store or a new restuarant and maybe come back again. There are more people outside bars and restaurants now because you can't smoke inside anymore.
Hey Real Estate Feast, Why subject yourself to the noise at the fundraiser? Next time just send a check!
If you CHOOSE to live in the general vicinity of the Coconut Grove restaurant/bar district then you should be able to accept the fact that at some point there may be noise coming from them. If you don't like it, then simply move away. These businesses are hurting enough in this economy and they don't need your help to hurt them even more. If you drive aide in driving these businesses down then what will come next? Building owners will be compelled to rent their spaces out for less money in turn attracting trashy tenants. Is that what you want? A more trashy, dangerous, unsafe Grove? If that is your ultimate goal then continue to call the police. Otherwise, there are some really nice retirement communities in West Palm beach. Perhaps this is a better option for you...
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