Razzle's gets a reprieve; nightclub gets permission to stay open past midnight

DAYTONA BEACH — Four days after Razzle's Nightclub was stripped of its city permit that allows the Seabreeze Boulevard bar to stay open and serve alcohol from midnight to 2 a.m., a special magistrate is again allowing the business to stay open past 12 a.m.

The after-hours permit reinstatement, however, came with a few conditions that had to be met by last Wednesday night, and more mandates that have to be followed within the next week. If any of those conditions are violated over the next seven days, Special Magistrate Robert Riggio can again order Razzle's to close by midnight every day.

Police Chief Jakari Young revoked Razzle's extended-hours permit Saturday after learning about two teenage girls, ages 16 and 17, who had been in the nightclub Friday night. When the 17-year-old tried to drive out of the Razzle's parking lot, she first hit two police officers on bicycle patrol and then hit two nearby pedestrians.

The 17-year-old has been charged with driving under the influence, possession of alcohol, and a curfew violation.

The damaged bicycles were displayed at the front of the room during Wednesday's special magistrate hearing. One of the officers who was hit, Isabella Preiss, also spoke before the magistrate. She told of how two open, half-empty bottles of Jack Daniel's whiskey were found in the teenager's vehicle.

Preiss said there was no question the driver was inebriated.

Razzle's conditions for staying open past midnight

Young said he was already moving to revoke the after-hours permit before Friday because Razzle's has prompted more than 120 reports to police over the past year about underage drinking, fights, intoxicated patrons, shootings, trespassers and illegal parking.

On July 22, a woman came into the bar with a gun, but during a check of her purse staff missed the bright pink 9 mm pistol, police said. Later that night she shot four people outside Razzle's, officers said. The victims are all expected to recover.

The parking lot accident with the two teenage girls prompted Young to move forward with the after-hours permit suspension faster than he had planned.

"I said enough is enough," Young told the magistrate Wednesday.

He said from now on Razzle's staff needs to work with his officers when there's a problem, and "not go in the back and count money."

A hearing was held before Riggio at City Hall Wednesday to give Razzle's a chance to argue for the reinstatement of its after-hours permit.

After a nearly four-hour hearing, Riggio agreed to the conditional reinstatement.

The conditions that had to be met by 5 p.m. Wednesday include a size limit on purses and bags of no more than 5 inches by 9 inches by 2 inches, and signage notifying customers of the bag rules as well as a ban on alcoholic beverages outside Razzle's or in the establishment's parking lot.

Another new practice that had to be started by 5 p.m. Wednesday security staff had to be assigned to work in Razzle's parking lot to keep people from sitting in their vehicles while they smoke and drink.

Razzle's staff also had to immediately start using a new phone app that scans patrons' identification cards to determine if the cards are fraudulent. The system also allows staff to track who's in the bar and when they arrive.

Extended hours permit a privilege

A police sergeant was tasked with checking to see all of the orders were followed before the bar regained its after-hours privileges. Sgt. Timothy Blowers will be checking the bar daily over the next week, and if any of the new policies are violated, another magistrate meeting will be held and Riggio could suspend the permit again.

"The extended-hours permit is a privilege, not a right," Blowers said.

Blowers said the July 22 shooting outside Razzle's could have become a mass casualty event. There had been a fight in the parking lot just before the shooting, and there was no security response, he said.

"Just the mere thought of someone making it into that club with a loaded firearm makes me cringe," the police chief said.

Within the next week, Razzle's will also have to institute better training of security staff and do additional training for bartenders on when it's time to stop serving customers.

"Now it seems to be drink until you vomit," he said.

Blowers said it's not uncommon for people to be found passed out in Razzle's bathrooms or parking lot. Parents have also called about underage drinking, he said.

There will now be at least one security officer in Razzle's parking lot when the business is open, and on Friday and Saturday nights as well as during special events there will be at least two security officers in the establishment's parking lot.

Another new policy is that if Razzle's metal detectors go off when a customer walks through them, purses will have to be placed on a table and nightclub staff will search the purse. Previously, staff had only been reaching into purses for a quick search.

The nightclub's staff will also talk to police officers about how to better handle the closing time crowds and reduce the need for police to get involved.

Razzle's, which can accommodate up to 900 customers, welcomes patrons who are 18-20 years old, and city staff had requested the bar switch to 21 and over. But that request was withdrawn after the other measures were agreed to.

The city also backed off a demand for customers to leave all bags and purses in their vehicles.

Daytona bar mired in crime problems: 'I knew this was probably going to happen' Daytona's Razzle's bar has to close by 12 a.m.

Local attorney Aaron Delgado represented Razzle's at Wednesday's hearing. He said the Drymonis family has owned the bar for nearly 40 years, and they want to be good corporate citizens.

Razzle's has had metal detectors since November, and the nightclub has more than 40 cameras inside and outside the business. Bartenders already undergo training every four months, and even more rigorous training will be implemented.

Delgado said there will be better security at the bar from now on.

"My clients want to keep weapons out, too," he said.

Kyriakos Drymonis, a manager and operator of Razzle's, said he doesn't want 17-year-olds in his bar, either.

But Delgado said security will never be perfect.

"You can't prevent all crime," Delgado said. "We're not the TSA."

You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Razzle's can stay open past midnight with conditions