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VENICE
-- Defying Sarasota County zoning laws and facing $250
a day in fines, a South Venice gaming club has refused
to shut its doors.
Fatboys
Gaming Room, at 803 U.S. 41 Bypass, remains open despite
being denied a certificate of occupancy, which is required
for all businesses operating in the county.
Fatboys
was among four Southern Sarasota County clubs that last
month lost a lawsuit seeking to force the county to grant
them certificates of occupancy.
The
three other clubs -- Jackpot 777 in Nokomis, and Player's
Club and Player's Paradise in Englewood -- have closed.
The clubs were denied licenses because the county contends
that they violate Florida's gambling laws.
Bob
Gentry, lead code-enforcement officer for Sarasota County,
said a tax lien has been placed against Fatboys and the
county could foreclose on the establishment next year.
Fatboys owner R.J. Smith said he was unaware that his
club was being fined $250 a day. "Nobody
has sent us a letter," he said. "This is the
first I've heard of it."
Gentry,
the county code-enforcement officer, responded: "I'm
surprised he doesn't know about it. The fine runs until
the business comes into compliance, which it hasn't done."
It
was business as usual Tuesday morning at Fatboys, where
about a half-dozen customers played video poker and slot
machines.
Although
county zoning officers have likened the clubs to "mini-casinos,"
Fatboys hardly resembles anything on the Vegas strip.
A
table covered with packs of potato chips and honey buns
is in the middle of the dimly lit club, dividing rows
of video slot machines. Instead of paying off in cash,
Fatboys offers Visa and Wal-Mart gift certificates up
to $400.
Almost
everyone in the club Tuesday morning was over the age
of 65.
"Nobody
is burning through their retirement savings here,"
said one customer. "I don't see what the problem
is."
Smith,
the owner, said he wished the county would just leave
him alone.
"We're
not doing anything wrong," he said. "We're not
hurting anyone."
But
Venice City Manager Marty Black credited the county for
taking action against the clubs.
"Our
police force been very supportive of what the county is
doing," Black said. "There are serious concerns
about the activities at these establishments."
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Ameristar
acquired the property from Windsor Woodmont Black Hawk Resort
Corp., which was operating as debtor-in-possession in a Chapter
11 case before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District
of Colorado. The purchase price was approximately $117 million
in cash, plus the issuance of 58,943 shares of Ameristar's common
stock valued at $2.5 million.
