Sunset Lounge CRA Meeting 7/25/2022

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There are 2 item’s for discussion: (1) Sunset Lounge Operations & (2) 314 Clematis St; ended the meeting.The entire meeting ran for 1:07:57, and it’s included at the end of the story. Please take the time to listen to nearly 50 min. of conversation on the Sunset Lounge. Listen to the Mayor push his agenda, and the 2 Commissioners (Fox & Warren) who refused to be pushed and stood strong. Commissioners Lambert & Ward joined James, and made the vote 3 -2 to move forward with MadMen.

Commissioner Peduzzi was absent from this important discussion.

6/27/2022 CRA Meeting Discussion on Sunset Lounge. The vote on which company would receive the contract. Commissioners Fox, Lambert, Ward and Warren voted for Vita LLC, a local company owned and operated by African Americans. James and Peduzzi voted for MadMen LLC from Miami.

7/12/2022 Local group disqualified from operating Sunset Lounge for violating rules, city says. 15 days after Commissioners approved Vita LLC James found a way to disqualify them.

7/25/2022 28 days to overturn the vote. 13 days later, back before the Commissioners

What this meeting was all about is James wanting the Commission to vote to move forward with MadMen, and I honestly never saw the man push so hard to make his point, or Commissioners find it tough to stand their ground.

If you are inclined to listen to the meeting Commissioners asked questions and again Commissioner Warren had a problem with residents in attendance not being able to comment. James assured her when it was brought back before the Commission for a vote to approve a contract with MadMen that is when residents have 3 minutes to comment and share their thoughts. And I assure Commissioners and residents if it is brought back for a vote and 5,000 African Americans showed up to speak it would be to late. At this point it’s a done deal, and MadMen have the contract.

As predicted, Vita LLC has filed a lawsuit against the City of WPB, and Channel 25 (WPBF) who realized the importance of the Sunset Lounge, had their camera rolling at the meeting. Investigative Reporter, Terri Parker reported the story and below are excerpts. The entire story can be read below.

“Vita Lounge LLC files lawsuit against West Palm Beach for disqualifying it from running historic Sunset Lounge

Vita Lounge LLC, a local company that was abruptly disqualified from running the newly renovated Sunset Lounge after winning the bid, has filed a lawsuit against the city of West Palm Beach.

Vita Lounge LLC says it was improperly removed from the agreement to run the historic Black jazz club and is also preparing an emergency injunction asking a judge to stop any negotiations with other companies.

Meanwhile, in a special Community Redevelopment Agency meeting, commissioners decided to move forward with negotiations with the runner-up — Mad Room Hospitality, a Miami company that some local residents from the largely Black northwest community don’t want.”

There is hope the court’s involvement will bring some justice to the African American community.

Sunset Lounge is located in the Historic Northwest section of the city, and this is important as readers will be made aware of at the end of the story.

The Sunset Lounge was owned and operated by African Americans, a place of their own in which they had a great amount of pride and still do. The more I research, the more I learn. Let me share.

Thelma Starks, who died in 2018, often shared memories of the Lounge with the media. “My husband always insisted you dress properly at the Sunset,” she told a reporter, in 2002. “You didn’t come in looking like you were going to a picnic. He wanted you to come in with a coat on, a tie on and no hat. …When Louis Armstrong performed, more whites than anyone else turned out to attend. Everyone dressed up to go there. It was so glamorous.” With its 16-foot-high ceilings, polished wood walls and red drapes, the Sunset sought to rival whites-only ballrooms in its scale and elegance. Its sense of propriety extended to guests’ behavior. As longtime patron Emmett Cooper recalled to the Palm Beach Post in 1990, “There were certain things you just did not do at the Sunset, like swearing or using profane language and things like that.” Click picture to enlarge,

The picture is a list of upcoming weekly meetings being held in the City. BKJ (Before Keith James) the list was automatically sent to residents who signed up to receive them and made it easy to mark your calendar if you wanted to attend. If a meeting was cancelled you also received notice. I draw your attention to the only meeting dated for today 7/28/2022 @ 5:30PM. “Education Advisory Committee” Click to enlarge picture.

While I was looking for information on the City website I ran across this notice listed under ‘Events” July 28 Historic Northwest Community Meeting 6:00PM It has the word “Meeting” in the title, so why is not listed in the weekly meetings, afraid the black community would attend? Another event noticed for Aug.4,2022 “National Black Business Month Community Mixer” Is there no end to the City’s hypocrisy? Click to enlarge picture.

Chanel 25 (WPBF) Terri Parker Story  https://www.wpbf.com/article/vita-lounge-llc-lawsuit-against-west-palm-beach-disqualifiying-historic-sunset-lounge/40711215

CRA meeting held 7/25/2022 can be seen & heard below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEG39fp1EPA

The end?