Seminole County says Cabana Live was not approved as event venue

Cabana Live may have looked to neighbors and customers like a place built for parties and nightlife, but Seminole County says the property at 4380 Carraway Pl. in unincorporated Sanford was not approved to operate as an event venue. That gap matters because a business licensed for limited activity is not allowed to simply expand into a louder, busier use without county approval.

Seminole County’s special event permit application spells out how tightly those uses are controlled. Completed applications, fees and required documents must be submitted no less than 30 days before an event that does not require Board of County Commissioners approval, or 90 days before an event that does require it. The county’s fee schedule lists $75 or $300, depending on the type of event. Seminole County also has a special event exemption form for places of worship, public entities, and public or private schools under certain conditions.

The dispute has practical consequences for parking, traffic, noise and crowd control, the same issues that can turn a commercial property into a neighborhood problem when a bar or restaurant starts functioning like an event space. For nearby residents, the difference between a permitted venue and an unapproved one can mean whether a large crowd, later hours and amplified music are expected or out of bounds.

Cabana Live’s recent history helps explain why county officials are paying close attention. Seminole County Sheriff’s Detectives said a shooting happened in the early morning hours of April 28, 2024, after deputies responded just after midnight to a large crowd estimated at around 200 people. The event was promoted as “No One Leaves Sober.” The shooting prompted renewed scrutiny of how the property was being used and what kind of gatherings were taking place there.

County action followed quickly. The Seminole County Port Authority ordered Cabana Live to cease late-night events on April 30, 2024, after the shooting and the buildup of complaints and enforcement concerns around the property. Another county report noted deputies had responded to Cabana Live 85 times before the shooting, underscoring how often the site had already drawn law enforcement attention.

The county’s position now draws a sharper line: a business cannot market itself as an entertainment destination and then rely on that image alone to justify event-style operations. In Seminole County, the rules for special events, exemptions and permits are what determine whether a property can host the kind of gatherings Cabana Live was drawing, and county officials say this one was not approved for that role.