Miami Seaside bars and golf equipment might get an earlier alcohol gross sales freeze after voters handed the measure

Alcohol sales in Miami Beach bars and clubs could end three hours early after most voters approved the measure in a referendum on Tuesday, Associated Press reported.

An increase in nighttime violence, unruly crowds and public alcohol use in the South Beach entertainment district spurred a vote that would postpone the cessation of alcohol sales from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Tensions in the area have been mounting for years, as crowds of parties surfaced throughout the year instead of a couple of weekends. The COVID-19 pandemic made the problem worse when city officials blocked vehicles from the area’s main drag to allow restaurants along Ocean Drive to set up more outdoor seating areas, AP reported.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, a supporter of the alcohol sale and Tuesday’s re-election winner, praised both victories, according to the AP. He said the introduction of an earlier alcohol purchase limit may better offset the South Beach entertainment district as a “living, working and play area” with the addition of new living spaces, offices and cultural areas.

More coverage from the Associated Press can be found below.

Alcohol sales in Miami Beach bars and clubs could end three hours early after most voters approved the measure in a referendum on Tuesday. The above shows a drink at a restaurant on Ocean Drive on September 24, 2021 in Miami Beach, Florida.
Lynne Sladky / AP Photo

The city imposed a curfew at 8 p.m. during the spring break when more than 1,000 people were arrested. But it was not entirely clear how much support such measures would find among the citizens in a city that is dependent on tourism.

City commissioners approved a temporary restriction on early morning alcohol sales in South Beach last summer. Now city officials have to work out laws to codify the referendum. Gelber said he expected commissioners to support such measures now that voters have spoken.

In 2017, voters turned down a similar proposal to ban alcohol from selling alcohol at 2 a.m. on Ocean Drive in South Beach, the Miami Herald reported.

Exceptions are possible – Gelber said he was open to allowing larger hotels with security guards to continue serving alcohol until 5 a.m.

Critics said the earlier lockdown would cost the city millions without stopping crime. South Beach club owners invested $ 675,000 in a failed campaign to kill the referendum, the newspaper reported.

“Today’s non-binding straw poll was an attempt to mislead leaders who have failed to contain the growing problems of crime in Miami Beach,” said a statement from Citizens for a Safe Miami Beach, which plans to withdraw “Oppose solutions that do nothing” solve crimes but will cost 4,100 local workers their jobs, raise property taxes and cut tens of millions of dollars from city revenues. “

An increase in nighttime violence, recalcitrant crowds, and public alcohol use in the South Beach entertainment district spurred the vote that could move the cessation of alcohol sales from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. 9/24/2021 in Miami Beach, Florida.
Lynne Sladky / AP Photo