Shoot-out doesn’t mean Doral is the next South Beach. But it’s time to take action | Opinion

The deadly shooting at Doral’s Martini Bar two weeks ago has left city leaders and residents in the usually low-key city in western Miami-Dade wondering if the city should be considering whether to rein in its growing, late-night entertainment districts.

The chaotic shootout at a crowded bar in CityPlace Doral on a Saturday at 3:30 a.m. left two people dead and seven others, including a police officer, injured on April 6.

One might expect such an explosion of violence on South Beach during spring break (at least in previous years) or in some other South Florida entertainment hot spot, but in Doral? The 21-year-old city prides itself on being a safe, family-oriented place for its 80,000 residents. City leaders will now have to determine if there are any steps that should be taken to ensure the city doesn’t become an unruly nightlife destination.

The mass shooting has tarnished the city. But Mayor Christi Fraga is looking for solutions to make nightclubs more secure and roll back the hours of operation for a handful of bars that stay open until 4 a.m. And yet there is a hitch that would have to be addressed, involving a previously passed ordinance.

Police said the violence earlier this month flared up when an armed patron argued with another patron. The bar’s security guard, a 23-year-old FIU student, intervened and was fatally shot. Doral police killed the shooter. How the others were wounded in a hail bullets is still undetermined.

Afterward, Fraga quickly called a special workshop session of Doral’s city council to discuss what steps to take. Residents also showed up, some expressing shock that a handful of bars stay open so late.

“It was a surprise to me, too,” Fraga told the Editorial Board.

And here’s where the South Beach comparison comes into play. We all know that Miami Beach city leaders have been making late-night crowds feel unwelcome there during spring break this year. There have been other efforts, too, to roll back last call and curb unruly crowds.

Are those partygoers looking for a new place to hang out, with easy parking and cheaper drinks?

Not in Doral, Fraga said. “We are a family-oriented city and that is what I’m trying to preserve.”

She said Doral residents asked for immediate changes in operating hours and security measures, and she agrees with those proposed measures.

“We are going to be changing the the time of operation from 3:59 a.m. to 2 a.m. and last call at 1:30 a.m. for anyone who falls under entertainment establishments. Restaurants will still close at 1 a.m,” Fraga said.

Back to the hitch. City leaders have since learned that an ordinance passed in 2022 makes it unclear how the city can regulate operating hours. At a meeting on May 8, they plan to address how to tighten the ordinance — which they must do.

Meanwhile, Martini Bar reopened and three wounded victims have already filed lawsuits charging inadequate security.

Doral is at a crossroads. After watching the battles over operating hours on Miami Beach — business owners want later hours for reasons of profitability and the city pushing for law and order — we recommend that Doral leaders take control of operating hours now.

Security should also be under consideration, along with potentially increasing police patrols, especially on weekend nights, and the city could work with nightlife venues to strengthen security procedures like bag checks, metal detectors and training security staff in deescalation tactics.

Getting residents to feel comfortable with the city’s nightlife future development plans will go a long way and is best addressed now. Doral needs to balance growth and the merchants’ bottom line, but be loyal to Doral’s family-oriented character.

When Martini Bar reopened, the crowds were thin. They may pick up, of course, but the vision of a young security guard killed in a bar fight, and party-goers running for their lives, will linger.

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This story was originally published April 23, 2024 at 2:25 PM.