1624-12 Clubs •
ESTYLE' NIGHTLIFE
,, .... Clubs,
Beach
. .._
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,, residents
Y,: . _.-s,„ ., . _
_, .‘ , at odds
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/ -('•' '•. 'y' South Beach's nightlife
,I'`j"' ' , community says tough new
si:V% f.' '�,.�<<
Ijrules and a push to cut off
'` � liquor sales at 2 a.m.could
► 4r'r drive them out of business.
BY NICOLE WHITE
nwhitedherald.com
For more than a decade,
le Miami Beach's nightlife indus-
a try, led by mega clubs such as
-- Nikki Beach and Opium Garden,
.0 _ .
_ .. has created lavishly stylish envi-
" -- rons, an exclusive velvet rope f
sowie
wfsiteand opulent parties for the hip-
pWIIest of the hip—all in an effort
to make the city the place to be.
DONNA E.NATALEVLANAs/HERALD STAFF It worked. Nikki Beach and
iinoes with Ana Maria Rodriguez, left, and Olga its beachside tepees have been
n assisted-living home in Miami. cloned in St. Tropez and St. +
Bart's. It was inside Prive,
Opium Garden's super VIP sec-
tion,that J.Lo bumped into her
ratio n enethis year,setting the rumor mill
abuzz.
But now,the people who run
orelderly 'TURN TO CLUB WAR,2B
SMARI _ _...._........____.____
1I BOX y .
HISPANIC FAMILIES DEFY ''
PARENTS WITH THEM CITY COMMISSION n
a
In response to residents' it
ble to the population of Fort Lau- complaints,the Miami 9,
derdale. ' Beach Commission has:
More important, immigrants • Banned new bars from :y
playing outdoor music in e-
ie Tuesday from across Latin America are South Pointe.
defying tradition and warming to le
tchen hasn'tthe decidedly U.S.notion of ending • Taken a preliminary � :e,
vote to ban new i :le
gram in the their days in a retirement home. nightclubs and restaurants , on
And those facilities are looking for that turn into after-hours
ways to make them feel welcome. its
clubs from South Pointe
oncessions to a Margarita Vento,71,reckons she and Sunset Harbour.
'nay inside doz- would live in the same home as her ae'
iving facilities husband, Rufino, 90, if they still • Asked the city be
dministration to study the
ida. lived in Cuba. But they chose to ame
effect of rolling back lad
ounty's Cuban grow old together in Miami Beach alcohol sales in those areas 1
;.As of the 2000 Two years ago, his Alzheimer's lid.
from 5 .m to 2 a.m.
older than 65 ers
imber compara- 'TURN TO ELDERS,2B for
;ed.
ting
UP FRONT I EDUCATION Lcil-
FIU'S 1ST TRUMAN SCHOLAR ,r of
`' CRUSADES AGAINST POVERTY g an
ging
■Florida International Vaughan, Florida International rten.
University's first Truman University's first-ever Truman
Scholar traveled a long path Scholar,wanted to be.
from living in small-town Maine " `Who would've thought?'
to fighting poverty,child That's what kept going through my from
prostitution and human mind," Vaughan recalled. "What anally
trafficking in Bolivia. 21-year-old girl gets involved in mini-
[fighting] child prostitution in a Blue
1 BY ROBERT L STEINBACK foreign country?" rivals
I d rsteinback'aherald.com The visits came last summer as 'first
Touring the squalid brothels in Vaughan served as a U.S.Embassy ;ns of
dthe filthiest districts of a depress- intern in La Paz, Bolivia, just s offer
ILA ing Bolivian city would not likely another standout item on a resume It-rid-
be what most 21 year old college that has made her one of the stars arents
n
students from small-town America of FIU's graduating class of 2004.
HEARD/HERALD STAFF would consider the ideal summer She and her peers will receive their mes I
nm Fill on varatinn_
Clara
2B I SUNDAY,APRIL 25,2004 F
NIGHTLIFE : ORLANDO
Beachclubs �3
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ORLANDO—
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*CLUB WAR FROM 18 reasons, — _for the beaches,the wants run- posed bullet train
n
architecture and the number Virgin,which o
the club scene south of Fifth one reason is the weather," roads in the Unite
Street and in the Sunset Har- he said. i an airline, a travi
bour area—home to the pop- "They have an all-night and various ent
ular Purdy Lounge — feel district in Miami,where they '! companies,annou
threatened by a well-orga- can go and do whatever they it has agreed to dri
nized and influential group of need to do if they want to planned to rui
residents intent on a quieter, stay out all night," Dermer . Tampa and Orlanc
tamer neighborhood, said. , oto -. ,, tually Miami.
"They want us gone,"said "In the long run, this
2.,,kl`°''' Virgin would f
Steve Polisar, an attorney change would not be a loss,it hole in Florida's F
who represents several night- would be a gain." RICHARD PATIERSON/HERALD FILE 2003 team.The compai
clubs and also chairs the Resident Judy Clayton LATE-NIGHT SCENE A crowd spills out into the street in front of Opium nightclub on a design and build
city's Nightlife Task Force. says the city is finally taking Monday at 2 a.m.The club's busiest night is Sunday. the Fluor-Bombare
"The clubs are victims of "a step in the right direction." ship,has no expert
their own success." "This is the first time in all `Mayor David/Dermer has declared war on ning a railroad.
ORDINANCES PASSED our years of fighting that thethat the city is being too "We're actual
city is taking a hard look at itstourism.' i harsh especially because it is rock and roll on it,
Since last year,the Miami residents,"she said. clubs such as Opium,which Group director 1
Beach City Commission has Clayton and others say the —DAVID KELSEY,president of the South Beach Hotel and Restaurant Association once had multiple noise vio- horn. "We've spe
passed a series of ordinances nightlife industry is responsi- lations, that have forced the lot of time looking
that club owners say will ble for the predicament it city to take a tough stance. jected]ridership n
make it difficult to do busi- now faces because clubs be further from the truth," "After Sept. 11, we had "The nightlife industry we're getting comt
ness. repeatedly ignored residents' South Pointe resident Josh seminars [organized by will blame the city for the that."
But most worrisome to the cries to turn down the loud Fisher said at a-recent coni- Dermer]saying how we were problem," said Dermer. Virgin would
industry so far is the comgais- music,control the traffic con- mission meeting. all going to band together. Florida trains, s
sion's suggestion that it will gestion, clean the litter and "It's pretty insulting to How soon they forget,"Poli- 'TOO MUCH DISORDER' drive trains and
roll back the sale of alcohol in broken glass in front of their hear people say we're turning sar said."Now it's politically They will do "everything I with businesses su
South Pointe and Sunset Har- businesses, and control the it into Aventura,"Fisher said. expedient to cater to the they can in a discussion to tions and rental-
bour from 5 a.m to 2 a.m. rowdy behavior from "A fine place but not what large condo people that have avoid the true problem, ' nies,Whitehorn s:
It follows a crackdown on drunken patrons. people here want." come in." which is too much disorder Virgin signed i
underage drinking and noise Ocean Drive resident Clo- Dermer,who has acknowl- and people on the street dur- dum of agreement
violators, a ban on any new tilde Luce said the clubs have FORMER DECAY edged from the dais that he ing early morning hours," Bombardier, but
outdoor entertainment in abused residents for too long Twenty years ago, the makes decisions based Dermer said. tract still must be
South Pointe,and a recently and have given up any South Pointe neighborhood mostly on crowd sentiment, "People are trying to sleep In 2000, Flo;
approved ban on new clubs attempts of striking a fair bal- was in such decay that city is "completely out of con- at 3,4 or 5 a.m." approved a col
or restaurants with entertain- ance. officials used tax dollars to trol," said Opium co-owner Others on the commission amendment requil
ment licenses in those areas. spur redevelopment. Roman Jones. "He's jeopar- concede that the city helped struction of a hig
The combination, but in `SADOMASOCHISTIC' While it was zoned resi- dizing millions of dollars create the problems by turn- system across th
particular the 2 a.m cut-off `Balance by this definition dential, clubs like Nikki invested down there." ing a blind eye to the problem first leg is suppi
proposal, could prove fatal, only fits the kind of balance Beach and Amnesia(Opium's Jones says his club and until it exploded. among downtol
said David Kelsey,president found in a sadomasochistic predecessor)were embraced. others hand over hefty resort "Realistically, it was the Lakeland,Walt D
of the South Beach Hotel and couple,"said Luce at a recent Although Amnesia had only taxes to the city each month, city's fault for allowing corn- and Orlando Inter
Restaurant Association. city commission meeting. applied to be a restaurant money they say the city mercial enterprises [such as port by 2009.
"It would be catastrophic, "One party is on the accept- with a sprinkle of entertain- should use to help clean the Nikki Beach and Opium] to But the estima
there is no other way to view ing end of distress and pain ment,it soon morphed into a streets and provide more go into these neighbor-• topped $2.6 billi
it, " Kelsey said. "[Mayor and the other party is doling nightclub. policing for the area. hoods," said Commissioner costs of future li
David] Dermer has declared out the distress and pain." Residents said the noise is "Businesses and residents Simon Cruz. Orlando-Miami,
war on tourism." Residents insist that the particularly raucous because have the same concerns "This was our poor plan- be far higher.
Dermer dismisses the debate has been unfairly the club does not have a roof. instead of dealing with those ning that created this mess, Gov. Jeb Bu
nightlife industry's claims framed as a fight against the Before the multimillion concerns they would rather but just because it was a fail- Chief Financial t
that the change in hours clubs when they say it's sim- dollar condominiums, the shut us down,"Jones said."I ure of poor planning doesn't Gallagher and ke
' would prove apocalyptic. ply a matter of respecting clubs helped rejuvenate the can't do more than what I mean you can't correct it." - are opposed to ti
"I don't think people come one's neighbors. area and furthered the city's already do." Herald staff writer Casey calling it too exI
here to stay out at 5 a.m.Peo- "We are not arrogant allure as an international hot Dermer says he is unfazed Woods contributed to this risky.They are pu
ple come here for a variety of condo owners.Nothing could spot, Polisar said. by the nightclubs' position report. to overturn the 20
TODAY'S AGENDA LIFESTYLE
tTo hemt :Age items,s? A Latin eneration fills homes for elde
them to:Agenda,Metro
Desk,The Herald,1 Herald
Plaza,Miami,FL 33132.Or,
e-mail your items to dade- *ELDERS,FROM 1B thing that we do here; the like the coffee."
news@herald.com.No HISPANIC IMMIGRANTS IN MIAMI-DADE painting," Camejo, 80. Shabbat remai
faxes,please. aintin said
symptoms became too much. "We have a lot of activities." popular here.For
•. TransAtlantic Film Now she visits him every Among them: a chatty it's just another
Screenings:Concert docu- morning at the Hebrew Number and percentage of Hispanics 65 and order; beauty salon,a drugstore with the daily list. A
mentary Manu Chao Clan Home, a Cuban coffee machine,daily lowed by the e
destino,7 p.m.,Teatro 1980:71,272 or 12.3%
Avante,235 Alcazar Ave.,
Coral Gables.Free of charge. in the house," she said. "But 1990:126,660 or 13.3% and a bustling domino room. of course,in two
Call 305-445-8877. he would wander, and the _ , 2000:184,765 or 14.3% The Cuban
• ATTA Horse Show:11 a.m. police would have to find him. ETHNIC IDENTITIES was slow to eml
to 10 p.m.,Tropical Park, In Cuba,you have your neigh- Other senior homes have ment homes, sai
Miami-Dade nursing home population:
7900 SW 40th St.,South- bors, and your family, too. acquired their new ethnic FIU professor. I
west Miami-Dade,Eques- Here,you have no neighbors, Hispanic White Black identities over time,respond- he cited the rise
trian Center.Free.Call no nothing." non-Hispanic ing to the changing commu- Havana Activities
305-554-7334. The Hispanic population in nity outside. Center in the 19
1990 2,312 5,272 694
• Barry University's Spring Miami-Dade nursing homes The Hebrew Home, open daily offerings fa
Choral Concert:Features such as the Hebrew Home 2000 4,745 3,996 1,417 since 1954, once served low- "The elderly li
the Chamber Ensemble, more than doubled between income Jewish retirees. Its with their child
Tara Singers and the Univer- 1990 and 2000. Hispanics transformation, in the 1980s children were ou
sity Chorale,2 and 7 p.m., SOURCE:U.S.Census
overtook non-Hispanic and 1990s,echoed the decline working,and the
Barry University,11300 NE whites in that decade as the of Jewish South Beach.Bilin- nothing to do,"
Second Ave.,Miami,Broad largest ethnic group in the gual classes, a Cuban chef, "They are day ac
Theatre for the Performing
Arts.Free.Call homes. at the Munne Center in South- Cubans. Catholic rosary and commu- —day care,if yo;
305-899-3398. Most South Florida immi- west Miami-Dade. Also striking is the virtual nion services came to over- the elderly."
• Historic Miami City Cern- grants come from cultures "It wasn't easy sending her absence of Hispanic seniors in shadow kosher tradition and Attitudes ha
eters Commemorative Ser-
' with ancient taboos against there," Rodriguez said. "It the senior homes of Broward Shabbat. When the home's But the taboo ag
vice:Celebrates two of the expelling elders from the fam- took at least 18 months for County.Despite its large His- full-time rabbi — essential an elderly paren
city's African-American ily home. Once here, they everyone to adjust. And she panic population in 2000, under kosher law — retired ity remains.
incorporators,3 p.m.,St. tend to fall into typical pat- still has the illusion of Broward had just 173 Hispan- five years ago, there was no Dolores Her
Agnes Episcopal Church, I terns: nuclear families. two being able to return to the ics older than 65 living in need to replace him. accord- Cuban-born adn