If You Know Respectable Street Cafe...

[vaughanz]

If you have ever been to BLUE, DELUX, DADA, The LOUNGE, LOST WEEKEND, or AMERICA.... PLEASE READ THIS!

This was a letter from Rodney Mayo... They don't know I'm posting this but I've had the honor and privilege of working for/with Scott and Rodney and have spent many years and nights in their establishments... sooo anything we can do to help!!!!

Original email from Rdney Mayo:

Respectable Street may be closed down TODAY?

Well I thought my worst fears had come true...

BUT now they may be actualized. Last night Thursday at 10:30pm a workers comp investigator named John C. Turner, III came in and served Respectable Street with a stop work order. I was contacted by phone in Delray and Mr. Turner came on the line to inform me we had to close our business. I reminded him of our conversation that I had with him the week prior in which he specifically stated that unless you hear back from me your ok.

What transpired last week was that Investigator John Turner along with Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and City of West Palm Police dept (see email below) inspected Respectable Street for the second time in a two week period. I was informed by Mr. Turner that he wanted me to provide payroll reports for the company. The following day I left 3 messages for Mr. Turner with no return phone call. That night, concerned that I had not talked with him I faxed over our employee records as well as left a detailed voice message with the information he asked for. I called the following day and reached Mr. Turner. He advised me he did receive the fax and did get my voice mails and that we were ok unless I heard back from him.

Mr. Turner then comes in at 10:30 pm last night, July 15th and hands us a stop work order. I get on the phone with Mr. Turner and he tells me he had not received the information he wanted. I refreshed his memory of our conversation. He did remember it but told me he did not have my phone number to contact me. I asked again if he received the fax because my phone number was on that as well as I had left him 4 messages the week before with my phone number as well. He then changed the subject and said my fax did not include the required information. I said you come by at 10:30 pm on a Thursday to shut us down and tell me that? Why wouldn't you contact me during the day so I would have a chance to give you that additional information. He then proceeded to tell me that because I am registered agent of Respectable Street that according to the law I am supposed to be available between the hours of 10am to Noon Monday through Friday. Shocked, as I never heard of such a law before, asked if he could fax me that State statute. He then changed the subject again to "well I counted 7 employees when I came in last week". I told him that was impossible and did he get there names. He said he did. I asked him for them and then he said he didn't have them and he left them at his office. I said so you come to downtown at 10:30pm on a Thursday night to close us down but you do not bring a file with any information at all. At that point he may have run out of State statutes to throw at me so he said I must call him first thing in the morning. I told him I work all night but I would have my attorney call him in the morning.

Now I am hoping at this point that my attorney will be available to drop everything and work on my issue first thing in the morning and that I will be able to reach him. If not im not sure if Mr. Turner will be back tonight to close us down? One thing that I found very unusual was that Mr. Turner said that he was working his way down the list of businesses that I own? I have many friends who own businesses in this area whom I have asked if they have any such inspections and they have said "never". Am I the lucky one? I know some other Clematis nightclubs have had these inspections but oddly enough not one business at CITY PLACE has been visited, even the nightclubs, nor have any of the daytime businesses according to what I have heard?

I am continually persuaded that these inspections are purely random and not wanting to believe otherwise I convince myself so. I can no longer agree or let myself believe this. Knowing that Mayor Frankel worked in Tallahassee for so long and her disdain for me and my businesses is so evident and vocalized I cannot believe these investigations are purely random.

Because of this I feel obligated, although regretful, in that I will file suit against Mayor Frankel and the City of West Palm Beach. At the very least through depositions and production of records through the Sunshine Law I will be able to ascertain what has transpired at the City level. We were once persuaded not to file suit against the City for what we thought was blackmail by the City in transferring the Moonfest rights to the Sunfest organization. I look forward to revisiting that issue as well.

I hope to see everyone at Respectable Street tonight but I guess I wont be surprised if our doors are forced shut.

Sincerely,

Rodney Mayo

rodneymayo@mindspring.com

561-714-2382

http://www.respectablestreet.com

PS. If you feel strongly about this issue please email or call your Commissioner and voice your opinion. The contact information is:

Mayor

Lois J. Frankel

200 2nd Street

West Palm Beach, Florida 33401

Phone: (561) 659-8025

E-mail: lfrankel@wpb.org

James L. Exline

District 1 City Commissioner

200 2nd Street

West Palm Beach, Florida 33401

Phone: [561] 659.8099

Fax: [561] 653.2630

E-mail: jexline@wpb.org

Ike Robinson, Jr.

District 2 City Commissioner

200 2nd Street West Palm Beach, Florida 33401

Phone: [561] 659-8099

Fax: [561] 653-2630

E-mail: Irobinson@wpb.org

Commission President

Kimberly Mitchell

District 3 City Commissioner

200 2nd Street

West Palm Beach, Florida 33401

Phone: [561] 659-8099

Fax: [561] 653-2630

E-mail: kmitchel@wpb.org

Ray Liberti

District 4 City Commissioner

200 2nd Street

West Palm Beach, Florida 33401

Phone: [561] 659-8099

Fax: [561] 653-2630

E-mail: rliberti@wpb.org

William (Bill) Moss

District 5 City Commissioner

200 2nd Street, 5th Floor

West Palm Beach, Florida 33401

Phone: [561] 659-8099

Fax: [561] 653-2630

E-mail: wmoss@wpb.org

[philippio]

This is a load of BS!!! I have met Scottie before and he's a very stand-up guy. I've been to Delux before to see Vaughan, Cecil and Sheldon and I'm a regular visitor at BLUE and Lost Weekend on SoBe. All these venues have very kind and friendly and courteous barstaff and their doormen definitely do not let anyone slip by without an ID verification. I know this because Mimi has been with me many times and the same doorman at BLUE (who knows her) has gone as far as to follow her in to ask for ID. SO these guys are really serious about cracking down on underage drinking. BLUE has been around for 5 years and it's a stronghold of house music on SoBe... Even though I'm not in Miami anymore, there's NO WAY I'm gonna sit around and watch Palm Beach unfairly target the owner of some very respectable venues. Vaughan, anything I can do to help, let me know!!!

[vaughanz]

Thanks Phil... Rodney (and Scott) are easily two of the BEST people I've ever worked with in this industry of scum and shady mofo's!

[sobe2003]

Club owner says mayor after him

By Thomas R. Collins, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Saturday, July 17, 2004

WEST PALM BEACH -- Respectable Street might have to post a "Road Closed" sign. And the owner of the business thinks his nemesis, Mayor Lois Frankel, is behind it.

An investigator from the state Division of Workers Compensation delivered a stop-work order to Respectable Street Cafe owner Rodney Mayo on Thursday night just as patrons were putting on their dancing shoes at about 10:30 p.m.

But Mayo, a fixture on Clematis Street for 17 years, said the investigators will have to come and physically lock the doors themselves.

Frankel said she has nothing to do with the state inspections.

Mark Carlin, district supervisor with the local Division of Workers Compensation, said that with extra money approved a year ago, the office has hired three new inspectors and has stepped up investigations.

The city has nothing to do with it, Carlin said.

Italian restaurant Malsori's, and the clubs Spanky's, Vivid, and Gossip -- all on Clematis Street -- have received stop-work orders recently, said Carlin, adding that he can't discuss specifics.

Mayo was trying Friday to gather employee records requested by the state in order to stay open.

The stop-work order brings to a head a long-running feud between Mayo and Frankel that began with a series of mass e-mails sent by Mayo criticizing Frankel for not doing enough to rejuvenate Clematis Street.

When the two met at a committee meeting May 27, Frankel criticized Mayo's bitter e-mails, and Mayo called Frankel ineffective at helping downtown businesses, noting he had to close two businesses, including his restaurant, America.

Frankel responded that the food there "sucked" and that the city was spending $100,000 on programs to help Clematis.

Mayo retorted by sending an e-mail on June 4 saying the mayor wanted him out of town: "I am concerned as to what Mayor Frankel might do with the powers she has to affect my two remaining businesses on Clematis."

Mayo also owns The Lounge across from Respectable Street.

Things only got worse.

Mayo said in a June 29 e-mail that his businesses were visited on June 19 by officials from the police department, the U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, code enforcement, and the fire department. A week later, ATF, the police, and the Division of Workers Compensation showed up.

That prompted a mass e-mail titled: "My worst fears have come true!" He told Frankel in an e-mail on Friday -- sent to 40 more people -- that he would sue her and the city.

Frankel said Mayo's claims are "ludicrous."

Police records show inspections have taken place up and down Clematis Street, though some places have been excluded. Police spokeswoman Dena Kimberlin said the city is addressing complaints of underage drinking. She said she has no record that the police have worked with the workers compensation division.

Mayo said workers compensation investigator John Turner's Thursday night visit stunned him.

"He said, 'You're OK unless you hear back from me.' Never called back, shows up last night to close us down."

But the doors may not have to close if Mayo submits a year and a half of payroll records in time.

"I'm still running around to stay open," he said.

[jeffy1]

you need to go to ovaition in boyton for hot chocolate sunday's,can't miss

[laliux]

sounds like something personal between Rodney and the Mayor of WPB.

[philippio]

sounds like something personal between Rodney and the Mayor of WPB.

Personal shmersonal!!! When it comes down to it, I will stand up for a venue and its hard working staff (many of whom are my friends). All of Rodney and Scottie's businesses appear to be the targets of unfair government intervention in a state (and industry) that, as Vaughan correctly pointed out, is marred by "scum and shady moogafoogas!!!"

[sobe2003]

Scotty is one of the best guys ever!

[philippio]

What can we do to help???

[laliux]

What can we do to help???

go to Athens.

[philippio]

go to Athens.