Brownsville weighs a new midtown entertainment district — here’s what you need to know

City of Brownsville leaders are seeking ways to maintain a bustling nightlife scene while ensuring business owners are accountable for rowdy patrons in the new Midtown Entertainment District. 

There’s been a string of violent altercations and underage drinking associated with bars along Pablo Kissel Boulevard — especially at one plaza with more than a dozen bars. 

“We need to put a stop to it now. I am very, very upset,” Brownsville Commissioner Gustavo De León said. “I’m all about small businesses, one hundred percent. But I’m not going to take responsibility for a citizen getting hurt or killed. We already have one in the hospital right now because of someone’s bad intentions.” 

Councilmember Pedro Cardenas, who has run Mi Pueblito Restaurant Bar and Grill for more than three decades, says he understands the difficult balance. 

“I believe that the fights are there because there are 13 bars with 60 people each, that’s [nearly] one thousand people drunk in one parking lot coming out at the same time,” Cardenas said. “My son is 22 years old, and I do not let him go near any one of those bars down there.” 

City staff said developers often propose building a new plaza and seek the lowest parking requirement. They initially indicated the plaza would house offices, but instead, they rent out space to restaurants and bars. 

The new ordinance, shaped with input from bar owners, requires identification scanners, security guards, lighting, video cameras, and the securing of parking lots after bars close. 

The new rules will affect dozens of establishments that serve alcohol between midnight and 2 a.m., with the goal of eliminating a loophole that allows restaurants that close their kitchens early to then operate as nightclubs. 

The commission passed the ordinance unanimously for the first reading; a second vote is required before it becomes law. 

Violators may face fines of $500 per minor served alcohol, up to $2,000, in addition to fines from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. After two violations, bar operators must hire a commissioned peace officer for every 75 occupants. The annual cost per officer is about $65,000. 

“We want the fines. We want to stop the fights; we’re not against it at all. I just think that it has to be organized and done right,” said Rick Masso, who owns The Dive and is a partner in Shotz, Taquitos Locos, and Pizzeria Express by Gabriellas. “Right now, there’s no accountability, and I think that’s why there’s no control.” 

By done right, he means the regulations would be citywide. 

Masso said he used to have issues at his bar until he changed the scene of The Dive from young college-aged partiers to an 80s-themed bar. But it wasn’t without a financial hit; he went from selling $1.6 million in alcohol in 2024 to $450,000 in 2025.  

Joel Ruiz, co-owner of Brewskies Pub and Eatery and Shots on Pablo, says that there’s been a steady flow of customers, but there is an issue with minors trying to party and fights that break out after the bars close. 

As a result, the plaza owner of Shots on Pablo requires each bar to chip in towards the cost of a security officer to patrol the parking lot and deter illegal activity. But Ruiz said the fines were not severe enough to stop the issues. 

“I think a $500 fine is not hefty enough. Go big, $2,000. Hit them where it hurts because [otherwise] they are going to keep doing it,” he said. “Underage drinking and overcrowding come from a lack of enforcement, not a lack of rules.” 

Similar rules are under consideration for a downtown entertainment district. 

City leaders are expected to read the ordinance for the second time on Jan. 20. The new ordinance could go into effect in a few weeks.