I want to first say how grateful I am to have my name appear twice in Key West the Newspaper's "Ridenour Report. If I was in need of my ego being stroked I might even take the credit Valerie so generously bestowed upon me when she said "Victoria Lesser has succeeded in ruining the lifestyles of Don's Place and Larry Smith".
What Valerie fails to report is that Don's Place has accumulated 156 complaints in the last year to the police from many other residents that live around his bar. With its removable windows, his bartenders find it acceptable to blast their indoor music with hopes of drawing in passerbys. He had his license suspended for 30 days because he himself pleaded guilty to the two citations he received, not from me, but from law enforcement and code enforcement officers for breaking the sound ordinance.
He is appealing the additional two citations he has since received— even after going to mediation.
Valerie should sit in on one of the many sessions I had to whereby Don stated he wanted to work with the neighborhood but proceeded, anyway, to keep up the volume. It should not matter the time nor the duration, we are all deserving of some peace in our own homes. As a Truman Avenue resident, I appreciate and welcome music. However, the amplification is what I oppose. I'm not alone in this.
So I invite Valerie to know true selfishness when a business decides that what is best for them is all that counts regardless of how it impacts others.
As for Larry Smith, I am truly a fan of his. However, it should be my choice as to when I want to hear him sing.
As an ordinary citizen I am grateful that the laws our city fathers (and mothers) actually do take care of the needs and rights of its citizens. Thanks again for all the attention I received, it has helped band together other citizens who struggle for a little bit of joy in their homes, regardless of where they live on this tiny island city.
Someone should point out to Valerie Ridenour that inanimate objects do not have life-styles that may or may not be ruined. Don's is a bar. It is not a human being.
Neighbors are human beings. It is their life-styles that have been destroyed by Don's.