There’s a new offender on the St. Pete Nuisance Abatement radar. City Council member Amy Foster posted on Facebook Thursday night that a Something Different employee was arrested on narcotics charges as a result of activity in the Central Avenue bar between 24th and 25th Street.
According to Foster the location has received 42 calls for service and there have been numerous complaints from business owners in the Grand Central District. Foster claims there will likely be more arrests to follow.
Nuisance abatement has been one of Foster’s top priorities as areas surrounding her Historic Kenwood neighborhood continue to grapple with troubled businesses like the Mosely Motel and New Plaza. Foster said the Florida Division of Alcohol Beverages and Tobacco will be filing for revocation of Something Different’s liquor license and will look at assessing administrative fines as a result of liquor law violations.
The city legal department delivered a letter asking for Something Different to establish a turn-around plan. Though they could likely become involved, the establishment is not under the Nuisance Abatement Board’s control yet.
Foster posted the information to Facebook late Thursday night with a photograph of the employee being placed into handcuffs by St. Pete Police.
Her post has numerous comments praising the work she’s done to clean up bad-actor establishments. It has nearly 130 “likes” and was shared 28 times by Friday afternoon.
“Glad to see this finally happen,” wrote Molly Mabry on Foster’s post.
“So happy to hear that action was finally taken on this establishment,” said Edwin Duncan.
The man arrested was Terance Sampson. Over the past couple of months St. Pete Police Vice and Narcotics detectives have been targeting the location and conducting undercover buys.
Leading up the arrest police searched the suspects suspected of selling narcotics to undercover detectives.
According to a 2011 Tampa Bay Times article, a man was shot and killed in front of the bar after a fight began inside the bar and later spread to the streets. The man died later at the hospital from his wounds.
Something Different responded to the news on its Facebook page.
“I’ve been reading all the comments/posts on Facebook about what happened last night. It’s upsetting to see how racially divided this city is. The white people giving SPPD praise, while my loyal customers are defending the bar,” the post read. “Those white people are business owners next to me, above me, across from me. They have never supported my business, but they have a lot to say about it. If you know me, you know I never put up with drugs in my bar. Never tolerated fighting. I have always tried to provide a safe environment for people to have fun. I do not want to get shut down!! I don’t know exactly what I’m gonna do….but I gotta do something.”
The page has 1,261 likes with 7,658 Facebook users having “been here.”
Based on photos of events at the night club, the establishment hosts a mostly African-American clientele.
It’s unclear what comments Something Different was referring to regarding customers defending the bar. Of all of the comments posted on Foster’s comments none were in praise of the business.
“Never went inside, just walked by many times. Just looking through the window I pretty much said no thanks,” wrote Jamie Graham.
Foster issued the following statement regarding the bust:
“Something Different has received over 42 calls for service in the last year. These calls include: armed robberies, drug sales and use, aggravated battery, and attempted homicide. Neighboring business owners and residents have complained for years about drug activity and other issues that affect their livelihood and quality of life. Last night’s operation was an excellent example of collaboration among multiple agencies to address this issue. More arrests will follow and I, for one, hope the State follows through on revoking their liquor license. Like the New Plaza Motel, allowing illegal activities to take place in your establishment will not be tolerated in the City of St. Petersburg.”
