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Undercover operations lead to $500 fines for two West Palm Beach bars
Summary
City police say undercover officers and confidential informants were served alcohol while under 21 at BR Bradley's and Duffy's during May compliance checks. Special Magistrate Amity Barnard assessed $500 fines for each establishment's first offense.
Two downtown West Palm Beach drinking establishments were fined $500 each after undercover alcohol‑compliance operations on May 30–31 found staff served alcoholic beverages to confidential informants aged 19.
Sergeant James DeGrazio of the West Palm Beach Police Department told the magistrate that undercover officers and two confidential informants entered BR Bradley's, presented ID that showed they were under 21, and were accepted and served drinks. "They were served the drinks and paid $40 total out of the investigative funds," DeGrazio testified.
Nicholas Caniglia, who identified himself as the owner of BR Bradley's, said the business immediately fired the staff involved and retrained remaining employees. The magistrate took the corrective steps into account but found a fine appropriate. "I'll assess a one‑time fine of $500," Amity Barnard said as she entered the order.
A similar operation at Duffy's produced comparable results. Sergeant James Gracia described an undercover contact and said the bartender at the time did not check IDs before serving. Duffy's regional director said the bartender was fired and staff had received additional training. The magistrate assessed a one‑time fine of $500 for that first offense as well.
Why it matters: Enforcement actions are part of the city's effort to prevent underage alcohol access in entertainment districts. The fines are intended to be punitive for the immediate incident and to underscore the need for stronger on‑site ID checks and supervision.
Orders: The magistrate found both businesses subject to city ordinance violations and entered one‑time fines of $500 each, with written orders to be provided by court staff.
