MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Alcohol sales are off the table starting at 2 a.m. in an area of South Beach. It’s part of an effort to put an end to the wild parties.
The measure applies to about 44 bars in an area of the entertainment district that includes Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, but not Washington Avenue.
Miami Beach Commissioner Rick Arriola doesn’t believe rolling back the last call from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. starting Saturday morning until Dec. 8 will be an effective strategy.
“We have had a perfectly controlled experiment for 14 months. The bars and clubs have been closed ... We have had curfews of midnight, 10 p.m., even 8 p.m. and we still saw the behavior, so we know that this is going to fail,” Arriola said during a recent commission meeting.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and the majority of commissioners disagree. They want to change a culture that they say is increasing the crime rate in the area.
The Clevelander South Beach Hotel and Bar recently filed a lawsuit against Miami Beach in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court over the city’s last call and noise control measures.
Ultimately, the voters in November will have the last say on whether or not to turn the temporary 2 a.m. last call into a permanent measure in the area.