The city shut Little Havana’s famous bar. This reality star promises to get it reopened
The feud between Little Havana’s Ball & Chain bar and the city of Miami could make for a reality show.
And now, it has a celebrity host.
Marcus Lemonis, the Miami-raised businessman and host of CNBC’s reality show “The Profit,” bought a stake over the weekend in the bar/restaurant/nightclub that the city ordered closed two weeks ago for code violations. He said he intends to be the spokesman for the business and act as an intermediary to get the landmark nightlife spot reopened.
“This isn’t a moment to pit one side against the other,” Lemonis told the Miami Herald Nov. 7, shortly before tweeting his intent. “My goal is to get everybody to the table with the ultimate goal of reopening.”
Lemonis intends to treat the situation just as he does on his television show. On CNBC, he invests his own money into struggling businesses and helps turn them around. His only demand in the Ball & Chain deal was that he would be the sole voice for the business as it works through details with the city.
“In all my deals, I’m a minority owner, but I’m always in charge,” he said.
Lemonis would act as a buffer between Miami city commissioner Joe Carollo, and the club’s co-owner Bill Fuller, who sued Carollo in 2018 over his persistent effort to uncover code violations at Ball & Chain. Fuller accused Carollo of violating his right to free speech by sending city code enforcement to several of his businesses, including Ball & Chain — one of handful of spots that helped revitalize Little Havana and make it a tourist destination. The suit is still working its way through the courts.
The city ordered Ball & Chain’s closed Oct. 22, hours after Carollo co-sponsored legislation that made it easier to revoke a business’ certificate of use. The city told the Herald that an audit showed the club had several deficiencies after a summer renovation.
Lemonis, a Columbus grad whose family owned the Anthony Abraham Chevrolet car dealership on Calle Ocho, made his fortune in the recreational vehicle industry and is chairman and CEO of Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises.
His television team filmed a series of mini documentaries for “The Profiit,” called “Streets of Dreams,” set to air next year. In one, he highlights the revival of Little Havana, highlighting Ball & Chain, with interviews of Pitbull and Emilio Estefan.
“I feel like I’m coming in with no dog in the fight,” he said, “other than … it’s my hometown. Investing in my city is important to me.”
This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 11:50 AM.
