Board asks for new restrictions regarding hours of certain Wellington businesses

WELLINGTON, Fla. - Breakfast starts being made at Wellington's Brooklyn Bagels before six every morning.

"I got all the policeman and fireman waiting to get coffee," shop owner Melissa Edwards said. "They're banging on my door."

Technically opening up for them is against village code.

"There's so many regulations," she said. "You just can't do it anymore."

Edwards shop is within 300 feet of homes.

According to code, that means she's only supposed to be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Village staff doesn't enforce it because they were planning to drop it and there haven't been any complaints.

The planning and zoning board says, not so fast.

"They were concerned about the potential issues that might be created by not having any restrictions," Wellington planning director Tim Stillings said.

Wellington staff proposed to drop the 6 to 11 restriction if  the business is kept  inside.

The planning and zoning board voted against that.

Now Stillings and his staff must create a new proposal.

The board is advising it to be one that places different restrictions on certain business.

"You would have certain businesses that would be open 24 hours," Stillings said. "We'd also look at other uses that we might want to add limitations on."

Some 24 hour options would possibly be health related businesses or gas stations.

He said maybe others that would face limitations are bars.

Edwards hopes the new ordinance doesn't hurt her bagel shop.

"Maybe you can put some regulations on bars because you have some trouble at night," she said. "You know it's a whole different thing for the small business owner trying to run a breakfast shop."

Stillings said it will take until the beginning of next year before a new proposal is created.