Vibez club closes, says it was 'public enemy No. 1' after 'Panamaniac'. City denies claims

PANAMA CITY — A popular night club allegedly involved in recent controversies has shut down.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, officials with Vibez announced the club at 300 U.S. 98 is closed until further notice after it was "targeted" and "forced to shut down ... by the city."

However, soon after the post went live, City Manager Mark McQueen issued a statement that said "Panama City has never targeted Vibez nor required the business to close."

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McQueen also said the city remains "committed to working closely with all businesses to ensure the safety and security of" residents and tourists.

That is a vastly different narrative than the one described in Vibez's post, which as of about 10:30 a.m. Thursday had garnered 530 shares, more than 230 reactions and about 190 comments.

"With unexplainable reasoning, we were forced to shut down our business," the post reads. "Events of late, specifically the unlawful targeting by law enforcement and the abuse of the news outlets, have forced our management team to reconsider the continued viability of Vibez.

"Ever since the 'Panamaniac' takeover ... Vibez has appeared as public enemy No. 1."

"Panamaniac" was a dangerous event that gained traction on social media in March and brought thousands of people to Bay County and the Panama City Beach area, many of whom were criminals.

On March 26-27, local law enforcement agencies seized 75 illegal guns and arrested more than 160 people connected to the unsanctioned event.

It also sparked special meetings by the Panama City Beach City Council and Panama City City Commission, where ordinances designed to prevent future related events were passed.

Those included Beach officials voting to give City Manager Drew Whitman the authority to swiftly make decisions during civil emergencies without the approval of the council.

They also included a Panama City ruling that prohibited the consumption of alcohol in commercial parking lots.

In a special Panama City City Commission meeting on April 1, Panama City Police Chief Mark Smith gave an overview of some of the disturbances he and his officers grappled with during Panamaniac.

Though Smith did not specifically say Vibez was one of the businesses involved, he noted it was listed on a flyer for a "Spring Break Takeover" event scheduled for March 26 during the heat of Panamaniac.

He also hinted that Vibez, which has a maximum capacity of less than 300 people, presold 700 tickets for the event.

"We had to call the fire marshal to this particular club (that night) to help us with the crowd that was there," Smith said during the meeting. "We had an estimate on the outside of the club that we were dealing with approximately 600 people in the parking lot that were waiting to get into the club, which the doormen were saying was at capacity."

He also said when the fire marshal arrived, he estimated there were about 900 people inside Vibez.

"The fire marshal had them exit the club so that he could recount the people back into the club," Smith said. "The crowd was disruptive, unruly (and) uncooperative. The business (then) made the decision (to close), and (it) made that decision also with a statement that (it) had made enough money for the night."

Vibez also was the location where a brawl broke out on May 22 that resulted in the arrests of five people, according to the Panama City Police Department. Eight others are still wanted on charges of rioting.

The department noted in a Tuesday press release that social media posts from May 22 show a group of about 16 people exchange "gang signs" before the fight broke out. It was those posts, not patrons or Vibez's management, that alerted local law enforcement.

"During the physical fight, patrons not involved in the altercation began to rush out of the nightclub in what appeared to be a panicked state," PCPD states. "During the riot, multiple injuries were sustained on both sides and those involved were seen through (security footage) provided by Vibez leaving with bloodied faces and torn clothing."

In Wednesday's Facebook post, Vibez described the situation as an "unfortunate bar fight." It also noted that law enforcement officers were on scene when it occurred, and those involved in the fight were banned.

The police department declined to comment on Vibez's public statement.

"It is clear that the city of Panama City and law enforcement are focused on shutting Vibez down, no matter the cost and no matter who is hurt with the false allegations and mistruths," Vibez's post reads. "The once mutually beneficial relationship between the Panama City Police Department and Vibez has now become incredibly one sided, where Vibez will be shut down if all law enforcement demands are not completely agreed to, regardless of the nature of the demand."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Vibez closes, claims Panama City targeted club after spring break