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Tourist mecca Ball & Chain and other food and beverage businesses have been told to stay closed.
Not so good when City of Miami officials are letting customers with cash in hand stream into its neighbors up and down Calle Ocho.
So, what gives? Is Joe Carollo back to attacking Cuban-American entrepreneur Bill Fuller’s businesses? Maybe.
In Carollo’s sick mind, he would think it was a masterstroke. Keep iconic Ball & Chain shuttered under the cover of COVID-19 to make the point that even during a pandemic his power can’t be stopped. Rubbing his hands together like the two-bit dictator he is, he might right now be contemplating the symbolic and real-world impact of such an act and laughing maniacally in an empty room and petting a white cat.
I wouldn’t put it passed him. At the height of the vendetta, Joe was caught on camera lurking behind Ball & Chain, trying to stir up complaints from residents living nearby the business. He even gave city officials a personal tour of alleged violations including some at Fuller properties.
Things got so bad that Fuller filed a lawsuit claiming Carollo was punishing him for supporting Joe’s opponent, violating his first amendment right to free speech.
As for the facts, Ball & Chain and some other locations that serve alcohol are licensed by the State of Florida to serve food and drinks. The question now is about how the City of Miami enforces its rules.
I can tell you that the enforcement so far has been confusing and at times arbitrary. I know of at least one business that markets its bar as a speakeasy and serves food as a quality operation. But let’s be honest – no one is there for the sliders.
In politics, perception is as bad as the real thing. In this case, it looks and smells like a sloppy, rotten Carollo special that he had his lackeys drop at the front door of Ball & Chain before knocking on its door and slinking away.
Crazy Joe just lost his legal challenge to stop his recall. Somebody needs to stand up and sue him and the City again, while he is on his heels.
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