TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A business owner and a group of Tallahassee residents are at odds over the possible expansion of a nightclub in the South side community.
Top Flite Nightclub on Osceola Street is requesting a zoning change in order to move forward with plans to construct a parking lot club lot near a residential area. Tuesday evening, a zoning board met in a conference room on the second floor of the Renaissance building to discuss the agenda item.
Single mother, Latisha Wade says the area where Top Flite nightclub wants to construct a parking lot is directly behind her home. Wade says shes worried that having the parking lot so close to her home, would put her children's safety as risk, "I don't even think that the Top Flite owner is thinking about the children that are in the community...and I told them, what if a shooting breaks out behind my home, it's going to come through my house."
Wade, along side her pastor Lee Johnson presented a petition at Tuesday's meeting, signed by residents in the area asking the board to reject the zoning change.
Attorney Mirabell Choice Nicholson spoke on behalf of the owner of Top Flite Night Club, Theophalus McBride, stating that the request for a zoning change is completely legal and that McBride has been a business owner in Tallahassee for over 40 years.
After about 10 minutes of mixed discussion, the board decided to agenda the item for further review. The next meeting will be held on November 23rd at 6pm. The board is hoping to use the next 30 days to reach a decision.
We did reach out to McBride and his attorney for a comment, but they declined.
