Kissimmee leaders have long wanted to revamp the city’s image in the wake of public police misconduct and downtown practices. The city council made efforts on that mission Tuesday night, but the public was split on the execution. A contentious city council meeting ended with changes to downtown alcohol sale provisions and the revival of a police civilian oversight board – with more changes on the way.
A tangible turning point was the selection of Charles Broadway as police chief earlier this year. Now on the job for three months, Broadway’s presence comes with new attitudes and appointments, but Tuesday evening’s rulings had both commissioners and civilians uncertain of what’s to come before the final vote.
Hotel development, noise ordinance updates and a new alcohol permit left the room divided for more than five hours. But Mayor Jackie Espinosa said the Kissimmee is working toward a new version of the city. To her, it means making decisions that will not always be popular
“Welcome to the new Kissimmee,” she said. “We are open for business.”
Late-night alcohol and all-day noise
The bulk of the meeting was spent discussing, and sometimes arguing, the stipulations of alcohol and noise ordinances.
Businesses in Kissimmee’s downtown redevelopment area will need to shell out $250 every 12 months to sell alcohol at later hours. It equals out to a little more than $20 a month. Espinosa owns the bar and restaurant Matador downtown. She said people who complain about the permit fee and cannot pay it should reassess their ability to run a business in Kissimmee.
“If you as a business owner cannot afford $20 a month then maybe this is not the business. Maybe you should try something else?” she asked.
State statute prevents alcohol sales after midnight, but municipalities throughout Florida can make laws to extend sale times. Right now, Kissimmee business owners can sell alcohol through 2 a.m. with the proper licenses; the annual $250 fee would be an extra step in selling these spirits after midnight.
If a business were to break any regulations or fail an inspection, Kissimmee’s new police chief can suspend the after-midnight sales permit for 30 days. Chief Broadway can then revoke the permit for a year if the same business gets its permit suspended twice in an 18-month period.
Some members of the public present at the meeting viewed the alcohol and noise changes as targeted attacks. Zach Parsons owns 1881 Restaurant in downtown Kissimmee and said the commissioners’ decisions do not target the right crowd. “Don’t punish business owners and employees for the actions of criminals.”
City officials’ main reasons for the alcohol provision are noise complaints and crime downtown. Commissioners and Broadway cited a May shooting in downtown Kissimmee.
The alcohol ordinance passed with a 4-1 vote and will take effect October 1. Commissioner Janette Martinez was the lone dissenting vote.
The council voided a vote on the proposed noise ordinance. It’ll be brought back at the city’s July 15 meeting. The public pushed back on certain allowed decibel levels and a perceived change to outside speaker time limits.
Despite dissatisfaction with potentially having to shut off outside speakers by 10 p.m., Mayor Espinosa pointed out that business owners were always supposed to follow this rule; the time limit wasn’t new – the punishments were. Now officials will try to properly inform the public of what the changes are prior to the ordinance’s next reading.
Espinosa said if Kissimmee truly wants change, including a culture shift within its police department, residents cannot be upset that the new police chief will follow through on law enforcement.
“Life has changed in Kissimmee, and we need to change with it,” she said.
Policing the police… to a degree
Broadway has been chief of police for three months. The city brought him over from Clermont to change a “culture of silence” after a public bout of scandal and resignations within the department.
Kissimmee’s new police civilian oversight board will consist of five to seven members, one of which must be a retired law enforcement officer. Broadway said the presence will help board members less familiar with law enforcement proceedings.
“At the end of the day, we all want safe streets and safe communities, so why not work together to collectively and collaboratively reach that goal?” he said at the ordinance’s first reading last month.
The decision came on the one-year anniversary of a Florida law that changed how oversight boards work. They’re now established directly by police department heads with approval from municipality boards.
There was no deliberation or public comment on the decision. It passed quickly during the packed meeting.
Broadway told Central Florida Public Media that he has not picked any members of the board, including the retired officer. Volunteers have reached out to him, though.
According to the new law, the board can only review and recommend police policy and procedure; they cannot investigate alleged misconduct.
New Kissimmee, new hotels
Tuesday evening’s meeting also included discussion on hotel development plans.
Azure Hotels International will replace the Kissimmee Civic Center with a $150 million property. Part of the plan is a conventional center, which the city will completely own. Kissimmee will also get 5% of the hotel’s venue.
SkyView Companies will build a 128-room hotel in Toho Square and a set of condominiums. Commissioners want to bring tourists to the downtown district — away from other destinations in Osceola and Orange Counties.
Some residents were adamant the developments would bring parking and traffic issues. Others, like members of the Unite Local 737 union, which represents workers in parts of the hospitality industry, were against the SkyView project because of its use of $3 million in taxpayer dollars.
A unanimous vote passed in favor of the SkyView proposal. The alternative featured a proposed Hyatt hotel.
Looking around Central Florida
Comparisons to Orlando’s changes in its downtown in response to safety concerns were brought up throughout the meeting, but City Manager Mike Steigerwald mulled at the thought. Orlando requires bars that serve alcohol past midnight to hire additional security, among other restrictions.
Instead, Steigerwald called on the public to look at a similar ordinance in Winter Garden that limits alcohol sales. Kissimmee residents ask for a comprehensive study that can link crime downtown to specific businesses and alcohol serving practices. Business owners in other cities have asked for the same.
For now, downtown business owners have until October 1, 2025, to prepare for the permit changes.
