Buck Wild Agreement May Be Close

By Valerie Lovett, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla.

Jan. 13–PANAMA CITY BEACH — Buck Wild could become much more tame if the Bay County Commission accepts a proposed settlement that would turn the raucous nightclub into a more sedate restaurant. County Attorney Terrell Arline said attorneys for Buck Wild owner Eddie Eanes will meet with the county in executive session Tuesday to discuss the agreement. Arline said Eanes’ attorney approached the county with the plan that would close Buck Wild. “We have yet to see the specifics of what they’re proposing, but my recommendation would be to be open to those discussions,” Arline said. He said the executive session could yield permission for the county to proceed with negotiations and for a final agreement to be available possibly by the commission’s next meeting. “I tried to do everything I could to stay open and be a good neighbor to these folks,” Eanes said. “But from the start, the commission and the others, they don’t want to talk to me about anything.” Eanes said Buck Wild currently remains open, though under the agreement he plans to lease the building to a corporation that would run the new restaurant. He said he does not know when the bar would close its doors or the details about the proposed restaurant except that it would not be called Buck Wild. Meanwhile, Eanes said he has moved on and opened another Buck Wild in downtown Nashville, Tenn., where he said the business climate is more amenable to the establishment. “They love me up there,” Eanes said. “It’s a very good town to do business with. They work with you and tell you the rules up front.” Eanes’ problems began last year after the county filed suit against him in March for landuse, noise and code violations. The suit stemmed from continued neighbors’ complaints, including noise, highway obstruction, indecent exposure and drunken pedestrians. Since the lawsuit, Eanes paid for improvements to the property in an effort to reduce the noise and deter club patrons from loitering outside and offending passers-by and residents. Eanes made additions to the building after its April 2005 opening without obtaining building permits. The county maintains the improvements were not consistent with county ordinances, nor is the use of the property as a nightclub, Arline said. “The operation of the business constitutes a nuisance,” he said. County land-development regulations and zoning adopted in September 2004 prohibit such establishments within 1,000 feet of residential areas, and Buck Wild is too close to nearby homes to be compliant.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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