Conch House on notice from City Manager

Historic City News was informed that the Conch House intends to move forward with their plans to hold another “Reggae Sunday” party after a two-week hiatus while city management, police and fire services tried to sort out all of the things that went wrong during the Memorial Day melee that sent two guests to the hospital and has resulted in four criminal complaints filed against security staff at the event.

Editor Michael Gold spoke to City Manager John Regan this afternoon to see what if any corrective measures have been taken by the Conch House Marina Resort on Anastasia Island in order to satisfy the findings of the Fire Marshal, Fire Chief and Chief of Police. The “life-safety” issues that had to be cured were non-negotiable, Regan said.

The City Manager has given David Ponce official notice of violations in two other areas; one related to zoning and the intensity of use of the property, the other a land lease between the marina and the City that has not been updated in years as the business continued to grow and expand.

Extra police, paid for by the Conch House, will be on duty at the Reggae Sunday venue in addition to professional crowd control personnel from the same company who provides those services to the St Augustine Amphitheatre.

Regan reports that he has put in many hours of additional work continuously since Memorial Day; meeting with attorneys for the City, as well as the event operators, in the hopes of correcting a problem that continued to escalate week after week, year after year, to a point of becoming a clear threat to the health and safety of the community.