With a significant decline in business due to the economy and poor weather, the clubs in SOHO are scrambling to keep things happening. The stress of two new clubs – The Drynk and The Bric at Platt and South Howard – have not helped the situation. Drynk opened in mid January and the Bric is still requesting alcoholic beverage license approval before the Tampa City Council in order to determine if and when opening.
Rumors have persisted that The Drynk has a legal problem in the use of the logo and name, but we have been told that is not the case. We were further informed that an additional location will open in St. Petersburg in the Bank of America Tower at Central and Second.
The Bric requested a full liquor license approval with hours from early in the morning. While promising to be a restaurant rather than a bar, council members did not seem convinced. A new application with more restricted hours will be presented to council soon. Unfortunately the bad taste of a previously bad decision made by council members that killed the former Strings and Rings restaurant still remains. Strings and Rings had a beer and wine license but was limited to having to close as early as 8 PM on some weeknights and no hours were allowed on Sundays. The Tampa City Council mandated hours made the business unable to succeed.
The long term battle between the Dubliner and Cheap/The Kennedy owner Tommy Ortiz took a new turn in February when Ortiz turned the water off at the Dubliner. This long continuing battle seemed to come to an end after a lengthy court trial.
The water was turned back on over Ortiz’s objections. The action caused quite a furor and Tampa Police were called. The property had been under a lease purchase agreement between Ortiz and property owner Frank Kane, but that agreement seems to have been terminated.
Dubliner owner Richard Campion told us that the lease was current, the utilities were paid, and that Kane had expressed surprise at Ortiz’s action. Campion further indicated that the judgment for extensive attorney’s fees from the previous efforts by Ortiz and Kane to invalidate the Dubliner lease had still not been paid. He also indicated the Dubliner will be around until at least 2012.
Neighbors have been expressing concern about the noise coming from the clubs and the problems that seem to be continuing.
From January 1, 2010 through Feb. 25, Tampa Police Department reported over 100 complaints in the SOHO area. Here is a summary of the clubs with 10 or more complaints.
The Kennedy - 43 complaints
MacDinton’s – 19 complaints – two of which were sound complaints
Cheap – 12 Complaints
Note: over a year ago we wrote about the amount of Tampa Police calls that showed a substantial amount of complaints at Ortiz’s Hyde Park Café and Whiskey SOHO locations Ortiz called me to complain about our article. The Tampa Police statistics speak for themselves. He also requested I not visit any of his locations again – The Kennedy, Cheap, Hyde Park Café. I have not.
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What that area needs is a GREAT restaurant. I dont blame the Council for asking for limited hours from Bric after what happened to SOHO Tavern(it was to open as a nice Italian Restaurant - now look at). BRIC will be a great concept ifr it has GREAT food, GREAT service. Hours should be expanded though to 12am Fri and Sat nights, 10pm other nights. Wine and Beer are fine, look at other very very successful establishments with just beer and wine.
ReplyDelete@Tampa I am; To be fair SoHo Tavern was originally opened as an Italian Restaurant called Bernardo's. That concept was not successful and new partners came in. I don't see SoHo Tavern listed in any of the police statistics above.
ReplyDeleteI am a resident (and property owner) in SoHo, close enough that 5 noise complaints (and counting) against The Drynk belong to me. I cannot express how much I miss Po Boys. Since I am on a rant about how this area has degraded over the years, I miss being able to walk to SoHo Sushi to have dinner. Those nights that I was feeling spicy, my wife and I would mozy on over to Sangrias for some tapas. Then there was the relaxing atmosphere of La Casa Dolche, with a really nice way to cure my sweet tooth with some gelato. Of course there was Litre Night at the Dubliner, which fortunately is still around! I would then head over to Whaleys on Saturday mornings to pick up the forgotten items during the week, with a late meal at Ho Ho's after going out. Taqueria was probably my favorite, especially on beautiful days.
ReplyDeleteSo where are we now?
The residential parking permit program was passed, so now the problem has been cured on the Right of Way. Fortunately the same amount of people are coming into this area every week, so where do they park? Now the problem is the parking on private property as there is lack of adequate parking. So if the car that parked in my driveway and blocked my garage last week would like their license plate back, come knock on my front door, you know where I live.
Unfortunately Post properties stopped their project across from Starbucks, which kept the Jersey Shore in that part of SoHo. Since Post did bite the bullet, the mess has been pushed up the street....hence the Cheap battle.
Let's just say the area has changed from a laid back flip flop atmosphere to a True Religion hair gel show.
So where are we going?
Jersey Shore? It sure seems like it is going that way...I draw the line with Dubliner, when they leave, I leave. At the end of the day, someone has to pay the obnoxiously high property taxes in this area, can the Situation afford them?
So...let me understand...Mr. Ortiz owns the two clubs that are responsible for more noise and disruption in the neighborhood than ANYONE else. Is it possible that he could be considered as singlehandidly responsible for the lack of public safety(for those in Loma Linda, CRIME RATE in the general area.
ReplyDeleteNow, I'm just saying...! How do you say "URBAN BLIGHT"
Now as I understand these numbers,
Mr. Ortiz is individually responsible for 55% of the complaints in the neighborhood...SINGLEHANDIDLY!
Doesn't that concern anyone???
I have to question WHY the residents of the area, the elected representatives of the area and the appointed enforcement folks aren't all squeeling like stuck pigs over this level of abuse by Mr. Ortiz.
Not only is Ortiz and his group contributing to the lack of public safety but acting as "urban terrorists" by to "screwing with" legitimate lease holders use and access to their lease hold property. Perhaps his actions could constitute "tortious interference" with that lease holders business.
Unfortunately, no one person deserves the blame. Wish it were one,then it would be easier to solve.
ReplyDeleteWe listed the clubs we did because they were the only ones with 10 complaints or more during the time frame we looked at.
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