A trendy bar in downtown Fort Lauderdale took a beating in the public eye after allowing a pack of mask-less partiers last weekend. But thousands of other businesses have quietly drawn similar complaints, county records show.
Since June 1, code inspectors across Broward County’s 31 cities have fielded more than 15,000 complaints about businesses breaking safety rules aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
Palm Beach County has received 8,652 complaints. And with the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, many more are likely.
As of noon on Wednesday, code enforcers in Broward had issued 2,147 citations and warnings. Almost half — 1,022 — were for not following social distancing requirements. Some 3,446 were for poor sanitation, and 229 went to businesses that allowed more than 50% capacity.
Another 5,283 complaints have been resolved, and 292 businesses are awaiting inspection, according to county records.
The Wharf Fort Lauderdale became a symbol of dangerous practices last weekend when photographs of its crowd hit social media. Code enforcers shut it down Saturday night after complaints rolled in about a swarm of mostly young people walking around without masks. The shutdown was for 24 hours only, but the owners have decided to remain closed indefinitely.
The popular open-air venue got a $1,000 fine for not enforcing mask rules and a $250 fine for not enforcing social distancing requirements.
The Wharf is not alone. All kinds of businesses, from bars and hair salons to gyms and ice cream shops, have been cited across Broward County for breaking COVID-19 safety rules.
Among them:
Piazza Italia, at 904 E. Las Olas Blvd., was hit with a $15,000 fine at the end of June. Owner Frank Talerico says he hired an attorney to fight the fine, but declined further comment. Fort Lauderdale code inspectors cited the restaurant for repeat violations that included serving customers at high-top tables pushed up against the bar.
Three adult entertainment clubs — Cheetah in Hallandale Beach, Club Pink in Pompano Beach and a second Cheetah, also in Pompano — all got warnings in October. Their faux pas: Not following social distancing guidelines.
Areito Bar & Grill in Hollywood was slapped with a $5,000 fine for not enforcing social distancing rules and not requiring a hired security guard to wear a mask, said part owner Frank Paulino. A judge lowered the fine to $2,500, he said.
Even an ice cream shop — a Haagen Dazs spot along the Broadwalk on Hollywood beach — got a warning for not following social distancing protocols.
To help code officers catch the scofflaws, Broward County launched on online dashboard in July where residents can report violations. The dashboard updates every hour with the latest data.
Palm Beach County publishes a similar dashboard, which shows 76 citations and 145 warnings. But the dashboards are not always accurate.
For example, the Manor Complex, a gay-friendly club at 2345 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors, was cited four times, according to Broward County’s dashboard.
In reality, the club was cited just once, and that was on Halloween night, county officials say.
“We got a citation for having too many people outside,” said Chris Conley, a manager at the Manor. “We got a $250 fine. That was the only citation we got.”
Conley said he checked the online dashboard after getting a call from a reporter and was surprised to see four citations listed, including one for not following sanitation protocols.
“We were never cited for sanitation issues,” he said. “I am in charge of making sure this place is COVID compliant. And I am OCD. Anyone who has been to our place knows we go way and above. They know it’s safe.”
Greg Meyer, a spokesman for Broward County, said code enforcers are doing everything they can to ensure the public’s safety. “And they’re going to work through the holidays to make sure protocols are being followed. The county can’t afford to let its guard down and not continue with enforcement here.”
Josie Sesodia, the county’s planning and development management director, said each of Broward’s city’s is responsible for code enforcement within their boundaries.
People can report businesses using the MyBroward app, though the county’s webpage or by calling 311. In addition, municipalities are asked to enter complaints that they receive directly.
Not all complaints result in a citation. Some are resolved by the time a code inspector gets there. Some are unsubstantiated.
Sesodia acknowledged that some information in Broward’s dashboard might be inaccurate.
“We do not edit the complaint information that the citizen entered,” she said. “County staff do not edit any entries made by municipal staff. Like all crowd-based systems, the dashboard has limitations.”
Like the county, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said code inspectors will troll the city over the holiday, as they do every day of the week.
“We do have code officers out all the time, even during holidays,” he said. “We’re going to be out there making sure people are kept safe.”
Paulino, the part owner at Areito Bar & Grill in Hollywood, said he wasn’t at all surprised to see county officials crack down on the Wharf.
“Nobody should be surprised,” he said. “[Code officers] pass by my place every weekend.”
He said he wasn’t sure whether he’ll see them this holiday weekend.
“They don’t let us know,” he said. But if they say they’ll be out, “then you should believe them.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan
