ORLANDO, Fla.,None — A group of downtown Orlando business owners may take legal action over a fence at the NBA All-Star Game next month.
The city plans to install an 8-foot fence outside the Amway Center on Church Street for security.
Several nearby business owners have complained about it. But WFTV's Drew Petrimoulx found out that the city offered to take the fence down.
Negotiations between the city, NBA and merchants have reportedly broken down and we learned owners are now meeting with a lawyer to talk about possible legal action.
Business owners who have received nearly $120,000 in rent assistance from the city refused to speak with us today.
"Nothing to say. Nothing at all to say," one business owner said.
"Give us time. We're not going to speak with you. We're not ready to speak to you," another said.
But WFTV is told that the frustration over the All-Star game stems from an 8-foot fence that will go up from Thursday to Sunday that weekend.
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On one side of the fence, there will we fans with tickets, including what's expected to be a number of high-profile athletes and celebrities, but on the other side, businesses worry the fence will keep potential customers away.
"We are aware of the concerns of the merchants in the area," a city official said. "We expect them to have a banner week."
The city said the NBA offered to take the fence down and restrict all of church street between Huey and Division to ticket holders.
The merchants turned that offer down, and now the fence will go up.
The city said the fence will be at the edge of the street, leaving plenty of room for customers to access businesses from the sidewalk.
WFTV
