A Potential New Rule Could Affect How Long You Can Drink in Bars in Orlando

We’ve got a heads up for those of you who might be visiting Orlando soon, most notably Orlando bars.

The city of Orlando is debating a new rule that could impact how bars serve alcohol, or more specifically, when bars serve alcohol. This rule could prevent all alcohol sales after midnight, which could greatly impact local bars as well as your plans for the evening.

According to The Orlando Business Journal, Orlando City Commissioners are debating a rule that would prohibit the sales of alcohol after midnight in downtown Orlando. However, most commissioners seem opposed to such a rule and recently held a workshop to discuss other options.

The rule would be for safety, but the city has already put several initiatives in place, including requiring a permit for bars that wanted to serve alcohol after midnight as well as opening Orange Avenue to vehicle traffic on weekend nights (the street is normally closed on the weekends for pedestrians).

The after-midnight permit is tied to how much capacity a bar has, and funds generated from it are used for extra police officers downtown. However, some nightlife operators are challenging the permit, citing several downtown establishments that have already closed their doors because of it.

Orlando is still trying to determine how it could absorb the costs of the extra police officers, as well as figure out ways to spread the after-midnight permit cost beyond the larger bars. Other options discussed included increasing the number of cameras downtown, with a focus on installing cameras equipped with weapons detection and thermal imaging capabilities to deter crime.

City Staff plan to hold meetings with stakeholders, which will include conversations with businesses, workers, and residents in the area.

We’ll keep an eye out for more information, so check back with AllEars again soon for more.