MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Last call for alcohol may be a little earlier in South Beach as part of a proposed 12-point plan by Miami Beach’s mayor. It’s an effort to improve safety and control crowds, part of which was amplified during the recent chaos of Spring Break in the city.
Dan Gelber said alcohol sales should be cut off at 2 a.m. from the current 5 a.m. last call.
In the plan, the first item is “Liquor License Reform”: There is no reason our City needs 170 establishments able to sell liquor all night long. All it does is project to the world that we are a place that embraces hard partying . . .”
The idea has been proposed multiple times in the city’s history and it’s been rejected. Local 10 News asked Gelber why he believed this time might be different.
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“First of all, I think that this last experience, perhaps COVID, increased how manageable it was. It has really galvanized the community,” Gelber said.
Gelber said he believes that the city commission will put his plan into action by means of legislative measures, but if they do not, he hopes Miami Beach residents will choose to put them on the November ballot.
“I think many of my colleagues will support them and some may sponsor them,” Gelber said.
Commissioners are meeting Wednesday to discuss other points of the plan, which includes more than alcohol restrictions, such as an elimination of noise exemptions, an update of land regulations to encourage a “live, work, play” atmosphere, and adding a dedicated code enforcement unit just for South Beach, to name a few.
>See the 12-point plan for the Miami Beach entertainment district.