Approaching his first year as an owner of Big Dog’s Patio, Dominick Sinopoli would like to bring more family-friendly events and local music to downtown.
For Dominick Sinopoli, putting on events outside of his bar next to Plant City’s downtown McCall Park is not about getting people to buy drinks, but bringing people to the downtown area.
Sinopoli has been an owner of Big Dog’s Patio for about nine months now. The Tampa resident and north New Jersey native said he fully committed to the Plant City community, joining the Chamber of Commerce and downtown’s Main Street organization, and wants to help as the city grows.
When he bought the business, Sinopoli said, he had a vision of utilizing the area of Northeast Drane Street outside of his bar for family-focused events and hosting local music acts on the outdoor stage. He had hoped to start by bringing a mac and cheese festival to Plant City this month. The event, which would benefit the Tampa Bay Animal Health Foundation, was, however, snared in city hall.
“I own seven bars. The one I walk out of always feeling good, it’s this one,” Sinopoli said. “It’s a family event. This is a family town. I’m looking forward to getting more events going.”
Commissioners voted to deny granting Big Dog’s a permit for the event during the Nov. 13 commission meeting. The event was going to be held on Dec. 3 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the weekend following South Florida Baptist Hospital’s Lights of Love Christmas Tree lighting ceremony.
Though initially supported by commissioners Nate Kilton and Bill Dodson, Dodson later withdrew his second of Kilton’s motion to approve the permit. Among their concerns, commissioners said that weekend is one where families traditionally plan to walk through McCall Park to take in the city’s decorations. Plant City’s quarterly motorcycle festival is scheduled for Dec. 2, the night before the proposed “Plant City Mac and Cheese Christmas Fest.” That, too, commissioners said, has become a tradition.
“My biggest concern is that, Thursday night, that’s when we turn the lights on in our city,” Mayor Rick Lott said. “That’s the Lights of Love, it’s a big ceremony. The next night it’s our Christmas parade. That whole weekend is when families flock to downtown Plant City. And it’s kind of like that’s their Saturday and Sunday to be able to walk McCall Park, walk the parks and so forth and to really enjoy the lights. The crowds are always that weekend. If we have this event on the third it kinds of bumps the park for that day.”
Commissioner Mary Mathis also indicated concern that pets might damage the city’s holiday decorations, as well as clean up and security.
However, the event’s organizers said they’d be handling cleanup and, though the event is pet-friendly, they didn’t expect an abundance of pets. According to city documents, the event wouldn’t cost the city any money as sponsors would “need to obtain a Business Tax certificate from the Finance Department and provide Extra-Duty Officers for the event and street closures as determined by the Plant City Police Department.” It would also have the same restrictions as other McCall Park events, like no alcohol in the streets.
Sinopoli said he was disappointed by the city’s decision, but not discouraged. The event’s delay he said, was due in part to not understanding the extent of the permit process and how events work in Plant City.
“This is their city. It’s only my bar. I’m blessed to be here. It’s a privilege to be here,” Sinopoli said. “I’m encouraged to understand the way the city operates to ensure proper safety and the proper way to market to the city.”
A new permit application is expected to be on the city commission’s Dec. 11 agenda. If approved, the event will be held Jan. 13.
