City Council Declines To Make Hasty Decisions After Ybor City Shooting

TAMPA, FL — While the Tampa City Council declined to close businesses early or declare a curfew for youth, council members agreed there needs to be some action taken in the aftermath of the shooting Sunday in Ybor City that left two dead and injured 16.

On Wednesday, council member Gwen Henderson proposed that the council look into closing bars and nightclubs two hours early in the wake of the shooting that received national media attention.

That resulted in a throng of business owners descending on Tampa City Hall for Thursday's city council meeting to say closing bars and nightclubs at 1 a.m. instead of 3 a.m. would result in layoffs and a major loss of revenue for businesses at a time when businesses are still struggling to recover from the pandemic.

Nevertheless, Henderson said she was glad she broached the subject.

"A proposal is just that. It's a proposal. It doesn't have to be my way, Gwen Henderson's way, because I represent the area as the councilwoman for District 5," she said. "What's important, especially today in light of what happened, is the dialogue. If I had not proposed it, I don't know if we'd have seen all of the citizens that came out and showed how much they care about and want to protect the vibrancy of Ybor City. So we can not avoid talking about this."

Council member Luis Viera agreed.

"It's incumbent upon us to do something measured," he said. "We need to do something that is responsive and judicious and keep in mind the rights of the businesses."

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The city council also nixed a proposal at this time to enforce a curfew for underage youth in Ybor City because it would require taking a police officer off the street to take that youngster to a police station and contact the teen's parents or guardian.

According to Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw, juveniles aren't the only source of the disturbances taking place in the early morning hours in Ybor City.

"No 14-year-old should be out after midnight, especially in an area like that. But it's a bigger problem than just teenagers," he said.

Bercaw said the majority of violence and disturbance calls take place in Ybor City between midnight and 4 a.m. After the bars and nightclubs close, impromptu parties tend to pop up in parking lots and other vacant properties in the entertainment district.

He said the city is currently working on an ordinance that would require parking lot owners to hire security for those critical early morning hours when the bars let out and patrons continue the revelry in the parking lot or when those too young to be admitted into the bars and nightclubs congregate in the streets.

Currently, 7th Avenue, Ybor City's main thoroughfare, closes to traffic starting around 2 a.m. when the bars begin to close, releasing thousands of patrons. Bercaw explained the closure is intended to keep patrons from darting into traffic because the sidewalks are too narrow to handle the crowds.

"To close or not to close 7th Avenue is the million-dollar question," said Bercaw. "I'm a huge proponent of that road staying open as late as possible (to keep people from congregating in the road). But the sidewalks can't handle thousands of people when the bars closed and we can't have people walking out in traffic, so starting at 2 a.m. or 2:15 a.m., we close the road to accommodate the people when the clubs let out."

"I don't want to hurt the business owners," said city council chairman Guido Maniscalco. "And we don't know enough about what occurred to determine exactly why this happened."

Bercaw said, since the investigation is ongoing, he can't release details on whether the shooting was gang-related, whether the two feuding groups made plans to meet in Ybor City and whether any of those involved in the shooting had been drinking in the bars in Ybor City, taking drugs or have mental health issues.

"All I can say is this was a situation that didn't brew," he said. "This fight sparked up in a matter of seconds."

And approximately 50 police officers assigned to Ybor City were on the scene right away, he said, noting that foot patrols assigned to Ybor City are up 86 percent since last year.

For now, said Viera, it's important to reassure the community that Ybor City is a safe place.

"The perception hurts the community and the businesses," said Viera. "This is about making sure Ybor City is safe in the minds of the people who go there."