On Wednesday Bibb Commissioners voted 5-3 to deny an alcohol license for a Macon bar, despite efforts from the owner.
Lanita Hunt owns Big 478 Lounge on Shurling Drive in East Macon which now sits quiet and boarded up after she was unable to obtain a permanent liquor license for the bar. She opened the business in September of last year, and says she disagrees with the commissioners’ decision.
“There’s no reason why I should be denied my liquor license. I meet all the requirements, qualifications,” Hunt said.
In February the county’s attorney shared documents recommending the commission deny the application. Citing “Ms. Hunt’s history of conducting an alcohol-related business in violation of County ordinances.”
In 2022, Jermaine Stewart was shot and killed while inside the Rodeo Bar and Grill which Hunt owned. Stewart was a security guard at the bar, and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office ordered Hunt to shut the bar down due to security cameras not recording video. Hunt says she then voluntarily surrendered her liquor license to take accountability.
“I’m holding myself accountable for that. But I also was under the assumption that it wouldn’t be held against me, and that’s exactly what happened,” Hunt said.
By signing away the license, Hunt was not subject to future license bans, as long as she met other qualifications. Hunt says the new bar had proper security cameras, and argues she met those qualifications. She adds that she would have tried to keep her previous license if she knew it could affect her later.
“They most definitely misled me,” Hunt said. “I don’t see the point in that. It ain’t like I was serving underage minors or somebody got drunk and crashed.”
Commissioner Bill Howell was one of the five who voted to deny the license. He would not share his reasoning for his vote, but says Hunt’s past did not play a factor in his decision.
“When we vote on this stuff is based on that location and that neighborhood and that thing. We’re not really concerned about what’s happened in the past. In in her particular case because it didn’t happen at this location we were approving or disapproving liquor license for the Shurling Drive location,” Howell said.
Hunt says she does not plan to pursue further legal action, but says she is unsure if she’ll use her right to reapply for the license.
