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Miami Vibes owner seeks $272,000 in lost sales relief, proposes emergency downtown stabilization program
Summary
Jeremy Hawes told the commission Miami Vibes lost about $272,000 (56.10%) in sales year-over-year and requested rent and payroll assistance, fee waivers, and temporary excise-tax relief; he urged creation of an emergency downtown relief program for businesses that can document losses.
Jeremy Hawes, owner of Miami Vibes, presented sales figures and urged the commission to create an emergency small-business relief program for downtown merchants affected by construction.
Hawes said Miami Vibes reported $486,000 in sales from Jan. 1 to Aug. 1, 2025, and approximately $214,000 for the same period in 2026 — a decline he quantified as roughly $272,000, or about 56.10 percent. He outlined four specific requests: assistance with past-due rent; assistance toward past-due payroll and payroll-tax relief; waiver of business and alcohol license renewal fees (which he said the city could handle directly); and a temporary pause or deferment of excise-tax payments. "We're asking the commission to consider establishing an emergency downtown construction small business relief program for businesses that can document significant revenue losses during this project," Hawes told commissioners.
Commissioners acknowledged the hardship and said staff and local partners (Downtown Development Authority, Accelerate Augusta, Greater Augusta Black Chamber, Metro Chamber) are coordinating resources and exploring options, though the administration noted legal and fiscal limits on what the city itself can directly fund. Administrator Allen said staff would post a resource list and that Mister Jackson is leading data gathering for potential stabilization efforts.
