Commission denies extension for You Save Food store after police data showed drop in calls when hours cut
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Summary
Lauderhill commissioners rejected a request to extend the You Save Food convenience store’s closing time from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., citing policing data that showed a drop in calls and incident reports after the store’s hours were reduced in 2022. The motion failed to reach the unanimous threshold required for quasi‑judicial changes.
The Lauderhill City Commission on Oct. 27 declined to extend operating hours at the You Save Food convenience store (4039 NW 19th St), leaving the business on its current 6 a.m.–11 p.m. schedule.
Planning staff recommended denial after reviewing seven special‑exception criteria and concluding the requested change would fail to meet standards tied to public safety and the use of public services. Staff told the commission the Florida Convenience Store Security Act and the store’s compliance history were central to the review.
Major Hennessy of the Broward Sheriff’s Office presented call‑for‑service statistics showing a sharp reduction in police responses and incident reports after the store’s hours were cut in July 2022. "We enjoyed a 53.6% reduction in the amount of incident reports and crime reports that we wrote at that location after their hours were reduced," Major Hennessy said, summarizing the department’s analysis.
Planning staff told the commission that before the hours change there were more reports of assaults, shootings, narcotics calls and trespassing connected with the store’s address; after the 11 p.m. closing was imposed those numbers declined significantly.
The store owner addressed the commission and said he had removed processing equipment, hired security and was willing to install additional cameras. Residents and commissioners noted ongoing plaza‑area problems and asked for broader area enforcement and partner‑site cooperation.
Because the application was quasi‑judicial and required a unanimous vote to alter conditions, the commission recorded a 3–1 result on the motion to allow extended hours and the existing 11 p.m. closing time remained in force. Commissioner votes were recorded with Mayor Denise Grant voting against the extension.
