LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — A new downtown business owner is sounding the alarm about what she's seeing behind her shop, adding to a growing number of concerns about safety and behavior in Lake Worth Beach's Cultural Plaza. The increase in complaints is prompting city leaders to consider new action ahead of next week's commission meeting.
WATCH BELOW: 'It seems like a great area, it just has to be cleaned up a bit,' Mia Cozier tells WPTV
Business owners and neighbors said the Cultural Plaza has seen a noticeable spike in concerning activity in recent months. One of the newest to speak out is Mia Cozier, who opened her juice bar, You Got The Juice, less than a week ago directly across from the plaza.
"It seems like a great area, it just has to be cleaned up a bit," Cozier told WPTV.
Cozier said she began noticing troubling behavior almost immediately — and is worried it could hurt foot traffic and deter customers.
"A lot of business owners in this area invest a lot of money in their businesses," she said. "I don't want them to scare away the clientele."
To better understand what was happening behind her building, Cozier installed a camera. What she found, she says, has been alarming.
"We would come in the morning and it would smell weird. People will take showers back there, we would find soap, we would find clothes back there. I just found condoms back there," she said, adding that she has also encountered drug paraphernalia.
Cozier said all she wants is for people to feel safe visiting downtown.
"I want to see people just walk down the street and know that they're safe," she said.
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Her concerns match what other downtown businesses have been voicing for months. At a Nov. 18 commission meeting, Commissioner Anthony Segrich acknowledged the growing frustration.
"There's been a lot of angst in the community, especially for those business owners downtown about the drug use in the Cultural Plaza and the parks," Segrich said during the meeting.
WPTV has also previously spoken with Commissioner Mimi May, who has been advocating for updates to local rules and ordinances. City officials said they are already working to revise trespass language to give staff clearer authority, when addressing people loitering around municipal buildings, including City Hall and the public library.
Segrich said the situation now requires immediate attention.
"I think it's an emergency situation, and we need to have action quickly," he said.
City commissioners are expected to discuss forming a dedicated task force to address crime and safety issues in the Cultural Plaza at their next meeting on Dec. 2.
WPTV will be at that meeting and will update this story as new details emerge.
