The Miami Beach Planning Board on Feb. 4 continued a revocation and modification hearing for Mentor and Co. LLC, doing business as the Vendome (660 Washington Avenue), and instructed staff and the applicant to add specific security measures and ban special-event permits while striking a proposed ban on "promoted events." The board set the next review for the April 8 meeting.

The hearing, which grew from repeated code enforcement citations and earlier appeals to a special magistrate, examined whether the venue complied with its Conditional Use Permit (CUP). Staff told the board that since the last hearing there were no new citations issued to the property, but several prior citations had been adjudicated guilty by the special magistrate in January. Staff recommended modifying the CUP to prohibit special events and to add public-safety-related conditions, then continue monitoring the property.

Why it matters: The Vendome has been under heightened enforcement and public scrutiny for nighttime queuing, promoted events and other violations. The board’s direction now imposes a near-term operational restriction on the venue and keeps the matter under active review, preserving the board’s ability to modify or revoke the CUP if future violations occur.

Board and applicant account
Mickey Marrero, attorney for Mentor and Co. LLC, said the venue has largely complied since May 2024: "Since then there was no queuing violations despite the fact that 88 going into last time and I think 16 more since, there have been now a hundred and 4 proactive investigations by code since the beginning of the summer... other than Halloween night ... there were exactly 0 queuing violations from May till today." Marrero disputed the seriousness of the Halloween citation and argued the business had implemented a queuing plan, added staff and improved operations.

Staff noted several adjudications in January — including a tinting citation and sidewalk queuing citations — and asked the board to modify the CUP to prohibit special-event permits and to add security and operational conditions, then continue the matter for monitoring. The board debated whether to close the hearing and dismiss further review or to continue under new conditions. One early motion to conclude the hearing without additional restrictions failed on a roll call vote.

A compromise prevailed: the board voted to continue the revocation/modification hearing to April 8 and instructed staff to prepare the CUP modification to (1) add the security enhancements recommended by staff and (2) prohibit issuance of city special-event permits at the property. The board explicitly struck a broader ban on "promoted events," leaving that definition and its enforcement to code and police review.

What the board directed and next steps
- The board ordered staff to draft a modified CUP for the Vendome that includes the security additions staff recommended and a prohibition on special-event permits.
- The board left the city alcohol-code definition of "promoted events" in effect but removed the recommended blanket prohibition on promoted events; the board asked staff to work with the applicant and neighbors on operational clarifications.
- The hearing will be continued to the April 8 Planning Board meeting for status review and further action if additional violations occur.

Community context and concerns
Palm View and other neighbors testified about past noise and rooftop events and said they want permanent, enforceable protections. Marrero and the applicant said recent operations and code enforcement scans show improved compliance. Staff emphasized that special magistrate findings and the number of proactive code inspections in 2024 factor into the board’s decision to keep the matter under active review rather than immediately revoke the CUP.

Ending
The continuation preserves the board’s oversight while requiring the applicant to incorporate the board’s security and event-permit restrictions into the CUP. The April 8 status review will determine whether the Vendome’s changes are sufficient to avoid further enforcement or CUP modification.