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Bradenton residents sign petition to close down club permanently

Posted at 6:23 PM, Oct 06, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-07 09:51:35-04

BRADENTON, Fla. — People living near 26th Street West in Bradenton say they are finally getting a good night's sleep, now that the popular club "Spot 26" has closed.

"It's back to normal," said Louis Kilgore.

Kilgore has lived in the neighborhood for about 24 years. He said he never had issues, until about three years ago, when the club opened.

"When that place opened I couldn't get sleep at night," he said. "The noise from their music would shake and rattle the house."

Bradenton police said the club does keep officers busy. When it's open dispatch receives 10 or more call a night. Most of them are noise complaints, and -- sometimes -- shootings.

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Kilgore remembers being outside on the phone with police -- complaining about the noise -- and hearing shots.

"It was two or three shots while I was on the phone," he said. "That's when I went and took a bunch of gun classes."

Bradenton Officers have responded to numerous shootings at this club over the last three years. They say a man was shot and killed there in 2017. There were about three shootings linked to this club in 2018. There have been several shootings already this year. The latest one happened back in July when two men were shot.

The owner said he closed the club a few weeks ago for renovations. According to a sign on the door, he plans to reopen in about three weeks.

Kilgore and 60 of his neighbors have signed a petition asking local leaders to step in and keep the club closed for good.

"If they don't I'll be on the phone to the cops," Kilgore said. "Either the cops will get tired of me or the county and city will."

We checked and couldn't find any outstanding citations against the club.