Mango’s Tropical Cafe owner David Wallack (right) addresses a crowd with the help of performer Alex Ruiz while seniors in Miami Beach enjoy free food and drinks at a political campaign event at Ocean Drive Bar on Wednesday, October 6, 2021. The event was organized by the Citizens for A Safe Miami Beach Political Committee, which is opposed to a referendum on the November 2nd vote asking voters if the city commission should ban alcohol sales at 2 a.m. instead of 5 a.m.
The alcohol flowed, music boomed, and dancers grooved in Mango’s Tropical Cafe on Wednesday, but it wasn’t your typical Ocean Drive shindig: party-goers didn’t park their cars and were out at 7 p.m.
That’s because the guests of honor were Miami Beach seniors who were pulled up from senior residences across the city for free cocktails and food and to hear from the club owner why they should vote against a voting question that asked if they should Voters want to ban alcohol sales across the city after 2 a.m.
“Vote no in November!” Mango owner David Wallack sang while holding a campaign sign by a stage surrounded by neon lights and Halloween decorations.
More than 100 seniors attended the campaign party, held the day after the postal vote before the November 2nd elections. Invited guests who received flyers for the event in their buildings danced and enjoyed the food from a well-stocked buffet. They heard a speech about why the 2 a.m. proposal would harm hotel workers and cost the city’s tax revenue. They were then escorted into several charter buses parked along Collins Avenue and driven home with campaign literature in hand.
“We want you to know what you are voting on,” Wallack said in an interview.
The event was organized by Mango’s and the Citizens For A Safe Miami Beach political committee, in which Mango’s is a party, Wallack said. The political committee has yet to report its financial contributions or expenses after filing papers with the city in early September.
After helping defeat a similar referendum question in 2017 that would have stopped alcohol sales after 2 a.m. on Ocean Drive, Wallack said he and his staff are once again struggling for a living. The 2 a.m. proposal was championed by Mayor Dan Gelber, who said it was an important tool in repositioning South Beach’s entertainment district from a party area to a safer, quieter place as local residents have concerns about public safety in the district .
Wallack said the street crime that flared up during the spring break when the city had a COVID curfew at midnight had nothing to do with the late night companies serve alcohol because people bring their own alcohol and celebrate in public .
City commission rolled back the entertainment district at 2 a.m. for about a month this summer, but a judge ruled the restriction was unlawful after another pillar of Ocean Drive, the Cleveland Hotel, challenged the law.
Wallack said the city should curb crime and hooliganism in South Beach rather than blame corporations.
“It has nothing to do with our operation,” Wallack said of his club, which is famous for its scantily clad, feathered dancers. “They’re not our customers who stand in line and pay up to $ 40 to come in and pay $ 15 to $ 18 for a cocktail.”
Milady Gonzalez, 74, who lives at the Stella Maris apartment building in North Beach, said she was “delighted” to attend the party, which was her first time at Mango’s. She drank a margarita, had dinner, and ate dessert. It’s all free, she said. She found out about the event through a flyer that was deposited in her building.
She said she would vote against the 2am question because she disagreed with alcohol sales contributing to crime in the city.
“The criminals can come anytime, any day,” she said in Spanish. “Not because the bars serve drinks.”
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 9:34 p.m.
Martin Vassolo reports on the politics and government of Miami Beach for the Miami Herald. He started working for the Herald in January 2018 after attending the University of Florida where he served as Editor-in-Chief of The Independent Florida Alligator. Before that, he worked as a general contract reporter at the Herald metro counter and as an intern in political reporting.
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