Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic goes in for a dunk during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 6, 2012 at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. (credit: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Orlando officials have been given the green light to build a security fence around the arena that will host this weekend’s NBA All-Star game.
A Florida judge on Tuesday denied a motion for a temporary injunction that would have stopped the erection of the fence.
Some owners of nearby businesses filed the motion, claiming the fence would put them outside the All-Star festivities.
But Judge Alice Blackwell agreed with city and arena officials that the fence is needed for crowd control and public safety.
She says business owners failed to show that they would suffer irreparable harm.
City officials say the 10 affected businesses were involved throughout the planning process and declined a plan that would have placed them inside the perimeter of the barrier.
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