MELBOURNE, Fla. – Small businesses are abandoning downtown Melbourne as the city installs new security cameras to try and make the area safer.
There’s been a mass exodus of merchants in the past few weeks because of homelessness and crime concerns in the area, according to some business owners.
The newest business closing its doors is the East Coast Winery. The owner was tearing down and clearing out on Monday when FOX 35 visited downtown Melbourne.
Bare walls and bottles of wine are all that’s left at the local wine shop. The owner made the tough call to close after a 20-year run.
“The downtown’s been going downhill quite a bit,” said Brenda Bussiere, who owns the winery.
She says people loitering near her business, cars street racing and having to clean up human waste forced her to a breaking point.
“There’s just a lot of issues that make me feel like I’m …