The downtown restaurant and bar owners have asked the mayor’s office for help:
May 2, 2015
Tamara Fountain
Chief Operations Officer
222 W. Main St.
Seventh Floor of City Hall
Pensacola, FL 32502
By and through the press, the bars and restaurants on Palafox were advised of the Downtown Improvement Board (DIB)’s recent vote to restrict outdoor alcohol sales to beer and wine at the May 22 Gallery Night. It was unfortunate that the public and interested parties were not provided proper notice as the item was on the agenda as a discussion item and not one for action.
Nevertheless, we are requesting a written legal opinion from the City Attorney of the rights and obligations of the parties, written notification of the Mayor’s position and a opportunity to have public city notice workshops with the Mayor, City Council, DIB, downtown business owners and the general public. We are more than willing to discuss opportunities to increase the value of one’s experience at Gallery Night. However any changes to the City’s special event ordinance and policies would affect other organizations such as Seafood Festival, Mardi Gras.
Since this will take some time to develop, we are hopeful that the City and DIB will make no changes to Gallery Night in the near future.
Sincerely,
Joe Abston
Spokesperson
Downtown Bar & Restaurants on Palafox