Law would require Myrtle Beach bars using promoters to close at 2 a.m.

Myrtle Beach bars and nightclubs could be required to close at 2 a.m. when owners hire the services of a promoter who manages the business if council approves a plan aiming to reduce crime.

Myrtle Beach City Council on Tuesday passed first reading of an ordinance that would require establishments that use promoters to bolster business to close at 2 a.m. – when it no longer is legal to sell spirits in the state – whether or not they are one of the 14 bars in the city that stays open later.

The 2 a.m. closing only would be in place during the night of the event.

City Manager John Pedersen said police have found that crime spikes when nightclubs that operate into the late hours are associated with third-party promoters.

“There was a [disc jockey] entertaining the night that we had the murder at [the former] Club Levelz,” he said.

A 23-year-old Myrtle Beach man died after he was shot in February at Club Levelz at 515 Ninth Ave. N. The club was closed less than a week after the shooting.

Bar owners, who say they’ve had no crime issues at their establishments, told council they took issue with having to close earlier than they usually do because they hire additional help to promote an event.

The city changed the late-permitting process for bars last year, allowing any bar in Myrtle Beach that submitted a safety plan to stay open after 2 a.m. Bars are allowed to serve only beer and wine between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. every day except Sunday, when all alcohol sales must cease at 2 a.m.

Changing the law “isn’t a theoretical argument,” Pedersen said. “This is a real thing that has happened out there.”

Pedersen said owners often hand over management of their establishments to promoters, including running the door, collecting money, providing security and controlling the music. The lack of involvement from managers leads to crime, he said.

“I’m the owner, promoter, operator [of Pure Ultra Club],” Hector Melendez said. “For every event, anything that is done in my club is managed by me. I am in control of that.”

City Council said if a bar owner uses a promoter and still controls management of the establishment, that owner would be in compliance with the law.

Javon Kennedy, a promoter and former bar owner, said he thought the city should embrace local promoters who he said often times are better able to identify problem patrons – who he said are put on a list and denied entry to events.

“There should be a sit-down between the regulatory unit and the professional promoters,” he said, adding that the change to the law impacts promoters who haven’t had problems at their events.

Melendez and Kennedy said a large number of partygoers arrive after 1 a.m. after leaving other establishments, and closing at 2 a.m. would be a major blow to their businesses.

“[This ordinance] is against capitalism. It’s against entrepreneurship,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy also said he feared forcing clubs that are hosting large events held by promoters to close at 2 a.m. would cause problems for other bars.

“You’re going to see more violence after 2,” he said. “Because the crowd is not going home. They’re going to find somewhere else to go ... that doesn’t have the infrastructure in place, doesn’t search [customers].”

He said that would lead to incidents similar to what happened at Jimmagan’s bar earlier this month, where two patrons shot at each other inside the bar and one of them was shot. Both are charged with attempted murder.

The ordinance also would require bar and nightclub owners to take responsibility for informing promoters they are required to have a business license and a safety plan before hosting an event.

The ordinance isn’t yet a done deal. It still needs another approval, which could come as soon as the council’s Sept. 8 meeting.

This story was originally published August 25, 2015 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Law would require Myrtle Beach bars using promoters to close at 2 a.m.."