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Clinton beer board approves off-premise beer permit for Shell station owner, contingent on expungement letter
Summary
The Clinton Beer Board approved a Class B off-premise beer permit for Vana Yaka 2025 LLC at 2228 N. Charles G. Severs Blvd., conditionally pending documentation that one owner’s prior Florida charges were expunged.
The Clinton Beer Board approved a Class B off-premise beer permit for Vana Yaka 2025 LLC, the convenience store at 2228 North Charles G. Severs Boulevard, with the approval conditioned on submission of documentation showing expungement or favorable disposition of a background record for one listed owner.
The board opened the matter under new business after the applicant, who identified himself as Vibov Matha and said he lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, said the current owners will transfer the business on Jan. 31. The board then heard routine questions about the location and ownership transition.
Board members said they perform background checks on all four owners. Chief Campbell and a city investigator reported one owner, identified in the meeting as Pratiksha Bin Patel, had Florida charges in March 2024 described as larceny and related counts that proceeded to a court action with the disposition listed in Florida as “adjudication withheld” and later sealed. Patel said in Council/board remarks that the matter was a misunderstanding, that the case had been dismissed and expunged, and that she had a court order showing the matter was “taken care of.”
Because the city’s online checks did not show the disposition (the clerk’s office said the records were sealed), the board heard from staff that the city could request additional records from the Pasco County clerk’s office but that process could take 30 days or more. Member comments ranged from waiting for full verification to approving subject to documentation. One board member moved to approve the permit “subject to getting a letter of expungement from the authorities.” The motion received a second; vocal roll call was taken and the motion passed with at least one recorded opposed voice. The board cautioned the applicant about strict state rules on sales to minors and penalties for first-time violations.
The permit will become effective once the required documentation is supplied to the city as the board directed. The board emphasized that licensees must check identification for every sale and warned the statutory first-offense penalty is $1,500.
The applicant and the board did not state the precise date the permit takes effect; staff said the owners expect to take over the business on Jan. 31 and that the board’s approval is contingent on receiving verification from the clerk’s office or similar documentation.
The board’s action centered on a single formal motion to approve the permit with the stated condition; the transcript does not provide a complete roll-call tally of yes/no votes by name.
