PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Panama City is taking steps to bring in new special events to improve the quality of life around the city.
City commissioners, officials and elected officials held a public workshop Tuesday to discuss how special events held in the city are permitted and supported.
City Quality of Life Director Sean DePalma said this workshop is to ensure they’re expanding their capability to host events in the city.
He said the city is looking to bring in more regional events like 5K’s and to increase cultural events, using the Hispanic Heritage Month annual event as an example. He adds this compliments long-standing events like Mardi Gras, New Years Eve, Fourth of July, and Oktoberfest.
“It really improves the quality of life that there’s activities going on a daily basis, a weekly basis for different people in the community, different cultures, and our guests that come into the city as well,” DePalma said.
Tuesday, they went through their current Special Events Ordinance to see how to modernize it to be more inviting to promoters and community organizations.
DePalma said they’ll bring the revisions back to the city commissioners to review and ensure it works best for the city.
A handful of Dallas residents called on city officials Tuesday to change a proposed ordinance that aims to crack down on venue operators and promoters who advertise large events that don’t need a permit, with some arguing that it’s too broad and could result in unintended consequences.
Nine speakers — mostly representing businesses, neighborhood groups or public safety organizations — either criticized the ordinance or suggested tweaks at a public safety meeting at City Hall, and many asked the city to gather more input.
“I’m asking you as a city to not kill what we have spent years building,” said Julie McCullough,who has said she has produced large fashion shows in Dallas.
“We need more time,” she said. “You have said you’ve talked to stakeholders, yet I’ve talked to so many who had no idea this was going on.”
Harley Barnes from Lively Local Markets told city officials that they need to reach out to more non-English speakers before implementing the new ordinance.(Rebecca Slezak / Staff Photographer)
The draft of the ordinance, which was unveiled last week, is meant to boost safety at events that don’t already have oversight through current city processes. “Commercial promoters” — or those who advertise an event that doesn’t need a permit — would be required to pay a fee and register with the city.
The proposed rules were designed after city officials voiced a need in recent weeks for policies cracking down on event promoters and property owners in the aftermath of two mass shootings at events that did not have permits.
Under the proposed ordinance, promoters and venue operators would need an approved, detailed safety plan for events, and would be responsible for costs incurred if the occasion results in any emergency response.
The city already requires a special-use permit for events that meet certain criteria and attract 100 people or more. The new proposed ordinance applies to indoor events with a certain crowd size — the number hasn’t been determined — or outdoor events “of a public nature.” Examples include concerts, outdoor activities and other performances where fees are charged. Events held for or by nonprofit organizations are excluded.
Mixed reactions
Multiple speakers said Tuesday that the ordinance was too broad and could unfairly burden people who follow the current rules and have kept events safe. They asked officials to slow down and refine the ordinance’s scope.
J. Damany Daniel, who said he has helped organize events in Dallas for 25 years, said the new rules could undercut the work of small organizations and artists with limited resources by making the process onerous and expensive.
“It is within reason to take a step back, to do more in-depth conversations — not just to rush to council after a week’s worth of deliberations and a month’s worth of conversations and say, ‘This is the law of the land,’” Daniel said.
Kathy Stewart from Uptown Dallas Inc. speaks during the public comment section of the meeting.(Rebecca Slezak / Staff Photographer)
Krista Nightengale, who heads The Better Block, an urban design nonprofit group that hosts pop-up events, said the proposed ordinance creates barriers for people trying to bring the community together safely, adding that activating public spaces can reduce crime.
“I find this language to be very broad and, honestly, a bit offensive to the work so many of us are doing,” Nightengale said.
Anthony Page of the Uptown Neighborhood Association and Kathy Stewart, executive director of Uptown Dallas Inc., said they support the ordinance but recommended expanding rules to include promoters who profit from a percentage of food and beverage sales. Page asked that “DJ-themed events” also be included in the ordinance.
‘Important and urgent’
The city attorney’s office said it would look into narrowing the ordinance and making changes. Officials said they could try to carve out “smaller artist-type events” such as an art gallery that barely exceeds the minimum crowd threshold.
The city said it can also look into waiving fees for some events, adding that police try to make security fees affordable. City officials said they also help people with making a safety plan.
Police Chief Eddie García said there’s a difference between rushing and urgency. He said the ordinance is “important and urgent” for safety this summer, when more events are held and rates of violence typically increase.
“We absolutely do not want to stop events from occurring,” he said. “We just want those events to be occurring responsibly with safety precautions in place, because we’ve seen what could happen.”
Council member Adam McGough, who leads the public safety committee, encouraged city staff to gather more input and conduct outreach to non-English speakers, but agreed the new rules were an urgent matter. The final version of the ordinance is expected to be presented to the public safety committee June 13.
“We are just trying to make events safer in Dallas,” McGough said. “Absolutely want to do nothing that inhibits the type of vibrancy, culture and life that we want.”
The Sonoma County Planning Commission will continue its consideration of a draft Winery Events Ordinance during a virtual public hearing on May 19 at 1:05 PM.
The draft ordinance would apply to new and modified use permit applications for winery visitor-serving uses in agricultural zoning districts outside of the Coastal Zone.
The wine and tourism industry plays an important role in Sonoma County’s culture and economy. However, an overconcentration of winery events can negatively impact surrounding communities. Permit Sonoma seeks to balance these interests with new regulations for winery events.
The Planning Commission took up the draft ordinance on June 3, 2021 and directed staff to return with a new table that compares the proposal with existing Citizen Advisory Council/Commission guidelines for winery visitor-serving uses. Permit Sonoma invites all interested persons to attend and provide comments.
The draft ordinance, comparison table and public comments previously submitted to Permit Sonoma are available at Permit Sonoma, 2550 Ventura Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95403l. They are also available digitally through the Winery Events website.
The Planning Commission public hearing will be conducted via video conference on May 19 beginning at 1:05 PM. No in-person commenting will be held. Members of the public may watch, listen and participate in the hearing through Zoom or by phone. In addition, written comments may be submitted until May 18 at 5 PM via email at PRMD-VacationRentals@Sonoma-County.org.
The agenda for the virtual Planning Commission hearing and project staff report will be posted one week prior to the hearing on the Planning Commission calendar.
