South Miami’s most popular nightlife spot says their landlord wants them out
The future of a popular South Miami bar appears in jeopardy.
Bougainvillea’s Old Florida Tavern’s owners have been told they are being evicted for not paying rent during the pandemic and must be out of the property by the end of November, the bar’s managers wrote on its social media pages Wednesday.
“We are in shock and don’t understand why you have made this decision especially during such a difficult time when people and small businesses are struggling to survive this pandemic,” they wrote.
Known as Bougie’s by locals, the bar, at 7221 SW 58th Ave., sits on a quiet side street in South Miami, beneath towering palms and covered in bougainvillea bushes. It started as a purely a jazz club when it opened in August of 2000 and has remained a popular music venue for local artists. On the weekends, it’s a favorite late-night spot and watering hole for the South Miami and southern Coral Gables crowd.
In a pages-long post, the owners write that their landlord agreed not to collect rent while they were closed during the pandemic, since March. They invested $100,000 in a renovation over the summer, but after receiving an eviction notice Nov. 4, they write that their landlord will not return their calls or meet with them.The marketing manager, Alcione Gonzalez, wrote the Miami Herald that they have no comment other than their social media posts.
“We are asking that you please reconsider your decision and allow us to sign the new lease that your property manager promised us,” the bar wrote. “We hope that you open your heart and consider having this conversation with us. Please allow for this magical place that we all love to stay alive.”
The owners of the property, controlled by the Bacardi family, applied for a permit to knock down the building 10 years ago, just as the city of South Miami designated the property as historic, according a 2010 Miami Herald story. Attorneys for owner, Remseaoliv LLC — managed by Ruby Bacardi, according to state files — had argued the building shouldn’t be categorized as historic. Bougainvillea’s even hosted a closing party in February 2010 for a shuttering that never came.
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 5:49 PM.
