News

By Sallie James

    An upscale Mizner Park jazz club that features live entertainment could be staying open until 4 a.m. on weekends under a six-month pilot program.
    Jazziz Nightlife, at 201 Plaza Real in Boca Raton, wants to keep its doors open two hours later than the city currently allows to better serve its late-night clientele.
    The popular nightclub, on the southwest corner of Mizner Park, regularly books notable entertainers and musicians such as flautist Nestor Torres, and renowned singers such as John Hall of Hall & Oates and Oleta Adams.
    The idea of later hours intrigues city officials, who want to make sure the move wouldn’t affect people who live nearby or create public-safety issues.
    Jazziz Nightlife landlord, General Growth Properties, also would need to agree to the extended hours.
    Boca Raton City Manager Leif Ahnell said the issue centers on one thing: drinking.
    “The real issue is the serving of alcohol after 2 a.m. Anybody can have entertainment after 2 a.m..The serving of alcohol is the real issue,” Ahnell said during an Oct. 14 Community Redevelopment Agency meeting.
    However, a draft ordinance establishing a six-month pilot program allowing Jazziz ­— and only Jazziz — to stay open later must be revised to specify how far the establishment must be from residential development, council members decided during an Oct. 27 workshop meeting.
   In its current form, the draft ordinance is legally indefensible, Mayor Susan Haynie said.
    “It’s not good public policy to try to amend something for a single place,” Haynie said. Staff members were directed to revise the ordinance for future consideration.
    Councilman Scott Singer voiced similar concerns.
    “I, too, want to make Boca Raton a cultural destination, but I share the concern others have voiced regarding the way this particular ordinance is drafted,” Scott said at the workshop.
    “I don’t like that this particular draft focuses on Jazziz. I would be more comfortable tying it to some sort of distance.”
Singer suggested 250-275 feet from all residential development, a requirement that likely would disqualify most, if not all, businesses other than  Jazziz.
    Haynie said the draft should apply to downtown establishments that have a stage and offer live entertainment, in addition to having a distance-based requirement.
    Councilman Robert Weinroth echoed their sentiments.
    “I am having some difficulty limiting this to a single establishment,” Weinroth said. “I think that just isolating it into one establishment might not give us exactly what we are looking for. I would like to see it a little bit broader.”
    Deputy Mayor Constance Scott, however, opposes the idea of specifying a distance requirement, saying it would be easier to measure successes and outcomes if the pilot program were tied to a specific location.
     “I have not been approached by other venues in Mizner Park with the same zeal and enthusiasm that Jazziz has,” Scott said.
    Under the draft ordinance, the six-month pilot program would allow Jazziz Nightlife to remain open for business and serve alcohol until 4 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
    The experiment could be extended or terminated early based on circumstances.
    The ordinance expressly prohibits drinking outside the nightclub during the extended hours.
    The draft ordinance would require Jazziz to hire two off-duty police officers to work outside the club from 1-5 a.m.
If 300 or more customers were in attendance, four officers would be required.
    The proposed ordinance offers little tolerance for any sort of police activity related to the extended hours. In fact, if three or more police incidents — such as illegal drinking, belligerent behaviors or open-container violations — occur during the extended hours within 60 days, Jazziz would immediately lose the right to remain open late.
    Councilman Mike Mullaugh said public-safety concerns are key. That the jazz club is not near residential development is also important.
    “I want to hear from the police if it’s a good idea or not,” Mullaugh said. “There is a big public-safety element in the whole thing.”