When Government Shakedowns Target Main Street: The Unlawful $5,000 Cash Grab in Prince George’s
In Upper Marlboro, a classic local government overreach is playing out: politicians enacting policy at the expense of small business owners.
Under the leadership of Council Chair Krystal Oriadha, the Prince George’s County Council rammed through CB-017-2026. The bill slaps a flat $5,000 annual "permit fee" on a specific group of targeted local businesses—convenience stores, small smoke shops, independent beer and wine retailers, firearms dealers, and self-storage facilities.
These aren't massive corporate conglomerates. They are neighborhood staple businesses, many owned and operated by immigrant families and minority entrepreneurs who poured their life savings into achieving the American Dream. They work 80-hour weeks behind the counter, only to wake up and find their local government demanding five grand a year just for the privilege of keeping their doors open.
The Scheme: A "Fee" That Is Really an Illegal Tax
The Council attempted to frame this extortionate levy as a mere "use-and-occupancy permit fee" destined for a broad "Quality of Life Improvement Fund".
That legal sleight of hand is where they got caught.
Under Maryland law, local counties cannot simply invent new taxes out of thin air to fund general municipal pet projects. Regulatory permit fees can only cover the actual administrative cost of processing and inspecting those specific facilities. When a county charges $5,000 per shop to bankroll general county spending, it isn't collecting a regulatory fee—it is levying an unauthorized, illegal tax.
Even County Executive Aisha Braveboy saw the overreach, refusing to sign CB-017-2026 and allowing it to take effect without her endorsement.
Main Street Fights Back
Rather than quietly shutting down, 50 local small businesses banded together to file a major lawsuit in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County (Love Marlboro, LLC, et al. v. Prince George’s County) to strike down the ordinance.
The business owners brought in top-tier legal representation to carry the fight to Upper Marlboro. Championing their cause in the public arena is legendary Dean of the Annapolis Lobby, Bruce Bereano.
When CB-017-2026 was up for debate, Bereano stood up at the microphone before the Council to call out the unfairness of the measure. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with minority shopkeepers, Bereano gave voice to the working entrepreneurs who are too often ignored in local legislative chambers. He cut through the political grandstanding, pointing out the direct harm this financial burden inflicts on small, family-owned enterprises trying to survive tight margins.
The Legal Precedent: Why the County Overreached
The Legal Precedent: Why the County Overreached
In an interview detailing the lawsuit, veteran Annapolis lobbyist Bruce Bereano made it clear that this flat $5,000 charge is a direct assault on local enterprise that fails both legal and constitutional tests.
According to Bereano, the Prince George’s County Council simply lacks the legal authority to enact local taxes or fees on tobacco retailers. Under Maryland law, the regulation and taxation of tobacco products is the exclusive domain of the Maryland General Assembly—not county councils attempting to plug budget gaps.
Bereano pointed to ironclad state precedent: the landmark 2013 high-court ruling in Altadis U.S.A., Inc. v. Prince George’s County. In that case, Maryland’s highest court unanimously struck down a local Prince George’s ordinance attempting to regulate cigar sales, establishing the principle of implied preemption. The court held unequivocally that state law fully occupies the field of tobacco regulation, leaving local jurisdictions no leeway to impose their own restrictions or fees.
Because that precedent firmly established that local governments cannot usurp the General Assembly’s authority, Bereano and the coalition of 50 small business owners are confident the Circuit Court will strike down CB-017-2026 as an unconstitutional power grab.
What Lies Ahead
The lawsuit is moving through the Circuit Court, where attorneys are seeking an injunction to halt enforcement before the first fees hit small businesses.
This case exposes a fundamental question of governance: Should local politicians be allowed to squeeze working-class, minority business owners as an easy revenue source?
The battle lines in Prince George’s are drawn. Main Street is fighting back, and the County Council is about to get a tough lesson in Maryland constitutional law.
