MOUNT DORA, Fla. -- Leaders in Mount Dora want to encourage downtown growth.
- Mount Dora considering an entertainment district
- City leaders want to encourage downtown growth
- Business owners say it would bring in more people to the bars, restaurants
- Read the ordinance here, starting with page 476
On Tuesday night, they took up the idea of an entertainment district.
"It'll bring more people to the downtown core area, to enjoy the restaurants, the bars, the wine bars, the live music. That's what I hope. Maybe a more diverse crowd too," said Joshua Jungferman.
For over a decade, Jungferman's worked at Pisces Rising, a seafood restaurant which boasts lakeside views, a large patio and serves as what the general manager calls, "the meeting spot in town."
But, for all the fun patrons have listening to live music on the deck, it ends when they pass through the restaurant's front doors--and have to dump their drink before heading to the next watering hole.
"It's kind of neat to go from place to place," he said.
Around the corner, past a fountain and along a cobblestone path, Maggie's Attic is packed to the gills with wine.
The family-owned spot is a stop along a wine tasting route, every first and third Saturday. But, manager Jerome Brouhard said that it's frustrating to see wine lovers have to down their drinks so they can move on.
He, like many other business owners in Mount Dora, is in favor of an entertainment district.
"They could take the wine to the next stop and not feel like they had to slug back wine, which we don't want," he said with a laugh.
It's a concept which Brouhard said has been kicked around for years, but is now gaining momentum: a defined downtown core, where patrons can wander from business-to-business, drinks in hand.
"I just think making people more accepting of coming into town, making it easier. Making it welcoming for everybody and making it fun," Brouhard said. "Our leadership is really looking for ideas to get outside the box and make us competitive."
A first reading of the entertainment district ordinance went before City Council Tuesday night, as council members discussed the budget for the idea, including additional trash cans and staffing.
They noted in the ordinance that they would need to hire a new police officer, costing $112,000 annually for the first full year (approximately $62,000 for salaries and benefits and $50,000 for equipping the individual) and one part-time parks staff member at $20,285 annually.
In addition, council members discussed times, stipulations, and what the border of the district will be -- currently Baker Street, Fifth Avenue and Lake Dora to the west.
The council decided at the Tuesday night meeting to continue discussion on the issue.
At the second reading, the city will vote on the ordinance, though the city's public information officer shared that council "seems to be in support" of the idea.
Some neighboring cities, like Tavares and Eustis, have already put entertainment districts in place; Eustis approved theirs in September 2013 and amended the ordinance in January, expanding the time frame for serving alcohol.
While there are still outstanding concerns -- like a lack of parking in Mount Dora -- the notion of the ordinance bringing extra crime or headaches doesn't phase some business owners.
"I just don't see that, not from the clientele that we have, the demographic that we have coming in," said Jungferman. "Business owners, especially in the restaurant business I've heard be very supportive of it. We're all a community, we all realize that."
