Planning commission denies special-exception request to reopen longtime lounge as late‑night bar and event center

The Gadsden County Planning Commission voted to deny a special-exception application to operate a bar, lounge and event center at 6766 Florida‑Georgia Highway, reversing the applicant’s plan to reopen the historic L & J / Tipsy’s nightclub as a late‑night venue.

Planning staff told commissioners the proposal was partially consistent with the commercial future land use but had “significant deficiencies” in compatibility with adjacent sensitive uses, buffering and screening, unverified off‑street parking, inadequate noise mitigation measures, traffic and event impacts, and failure to meet alcohol distance separation requirements. Staff recommended denial.

Curtis James, who identified himself as a business owner and applicant, described a broader event‑center model and said operators planned to limit events, check IDs, enforce capacity and hire security. “My goal is not to open a bar, but to create a safe, controlled, and positive environment where people can gather,” James said. He said he and his family own other businesses in the county and had invested roughly $47,000–$50,000 in the property’s renovation.

Deputy Cameron Weeks of the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office told the commission the department had an arrangement with the applicant that deputies would be present when the venue was open; Weeks described that detail as off‑duty deputies hired for detail work.

Numerous neighbors and local business owners opposed reopening the lounge, citing a history of loud music, litter, gunshots and frequent sheriff’s calls when the site previously operated as a nightclub. Edna Hall Whitehead, owner of Faith Funeral Home located near the site, urged denial and asked commissioners whether they would allow a similar lounge next to their child’s daycare. Multiple speakers cited 300+ calls to the sheriff’s office on the property from 2019–2022 and said noise could be heard miles away.

Commissioners questioned whether required parking could be provided (staff noted an updated lease for adjacent parking was submitted just before the meeting but had not been fully evaluated), whether the site met the county’s 1,000‑foot alcohol separation rule (staff measured as close as about 910 feet to a church when measured from some building points), and whether previous operation’s nonconforming status had been lost when the business ceased operations for more than three years.

After public comment, Commissioner Mark Moore moved to deny the application and instructed staff to cite the code sections in the denial; Commissioner Tammy Jimenez seconded the motion. The commission voted in favor of denial. The county will include the commission’s findings in the record when the item moves to any further review or appeals.