Fort Lauderdale advances first reading to remove Himmarshee nightlife designation
The City Commission advanced a decertification ordinance for 111 Properties’ Himmarshee agreement, but the first-reading vote does not make the change final.
Key Takeaways
- •Fort Lauderdale passed the first reading, as amended, of the Himmarshee decertification ordinance on Oct. 20; the change is not final.
- •The City says ownership and business-operation changes left the 111 Properties district agreement out of compliance.
- •WSVN reports some operators expect fewer late-night hours, while a separate citywide entertainment-district ordinance was tabled.
Fort Lauderdale’s City Commission moved to remove Himmarshee’s special nightlife designation, but the change is not final. On Oct. 20, commissioners passed the first reading, as amended, of ordinance 26-0967, which would decertify the Special Entertainment Overlay District agreement for 111 Properties Inc. The City’s meeting summary describes the measure as removing the designation from the Himmarshee entertainment area along SW 2nd Street.
The district dates to 1999 and allowed participating businesses to operate under special entertainment regulations, according to the City. City officials say changes in property ownership and business operations left the district out of compliance with city requirements. The ordinance concerns the agreement for 111 Properties, not a final citywide rewrite of every nightlife rule.
WSVN reported that a commissioner said One Eleven Properties had been administratively dissolved by Florida in September 2019 and no successor was identified. The City had an agreement with the company that let some businesses along Himmarshee Street operate under special rules, including an additional hour of business, WSVN reported. Mayor Dean Trantalis said the city ended its relationship with the entity and would not allow other businesses to continue under those rules.
The potential change has direct consequences for operators that rely on late hours. Original Fat Cats co-owner Ian Lowe told commissioners that losing two weekday hours and one weekend hour could cut his business’s sales by half, WSVN reported. That is Lowe’s estimate, not independently audited sales data. He said he hoped to discuss a permit approach before the next vote.
The first reading is only one step. WSVN reported the commission planned to consider a second reading in November and that, within 180 days, business owners would be able to apply to have some restrictions waived. The City’s Oct. 20 meeting record lists item 26-0967 as passed first reading as amended; it does not establish that the ordinance has taken effect.
A separate item, ordinance 26-0965, proposed broader revisions to the city’s special entertainment district rules and permit process. The commission tabled that item at the same meeting, according to the official agenda. Keeping the two actions separate matters: the Himmarshee decertification advanced, while the wider rules package did not.
Photo: Tamanoeconomico / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Color and size adjusted; adapted image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
