City Council Reviewing Late Night Bar Hours
John Mullen • February 10, 2024
Cohiba Dunes owner states they cannot exist without being open until 3AM
Owners of the Cohiba Dunes bar will go before the Gulf Shores City Council again on Feb. 12 to try and convince the city to continue its business license for 2024.
A resolution on the agenda to OK the 2024 and will be voted on by the council at the 4 p.m. meeting in council chambers at city hall. If passed, the resolution places 14 conditions to be met by the owners including closing the back door at 10 p.m. to customers and having the property cleared by 2 a.m.
In 2023, the council voted to give Cohiba a conditional license including some standards the late-night club must meet in order to have a license for 2024.
Most of the problems at the club were with the late-night crowd and owner Dan Alexander said most of his business is when restaurant workers file in after their shifts. Alexander showed the council pictures of his bar at midnight and then on the same night at 1 a.m. Click here to see all the conditions in the resolution.
“There are 7 people in there at midnight,” Alexander said. “Then at 1 a.m., there are 85 to 100 people in there.”
The bar had been staying open until 3 a.m. but Deputy Police Chief Dan Netemeyer said that’s when the late-night instances have occurred with highly intoxicated customers and drug activity.
During the Jan. 22 meeting, The City Council and Police Department discussed the extension of a liquor license for Cohiba Dunes Cigar Bar. The Gulf Shores Police had suggested to not renew the license. Gulf Shores Deputy Police Chief Dan Netemeyer explains the businesses shortcomings and why the license is in jeopardy.
Chief Netemeyer explained several problems which included drug usage, drug sales, over-served patrons and several other complaints during the "late night" hours.
Dan Alexander and Turner Adcock, owners of Cohiba Dunes, approached the council and had a lengthy conversation about the operation and his attempts to make the business better. He also stated that he would have to shut down his bar if he had to close the operation at 2AM, which members of the Council have considered.
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