2 Miami Beach business owners suing the city due to alcohol curfew ban

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Following a messy, violent weekend in Miami Beach last weekend, city officials decided on Monday to implement a curfew.

On Thursday, when the curfew went into effect at 11:59 p.m., it was a much quieter scene. It’s part of an emergency order put in place after at least two shootings and a chaotic scene in the heart of the city’s entertainment district.

“I think the curfew is a very good idea and in actuality, I think it should be even earlier because people are taking advantage and I live here,” one resident said.

High-end steakhouse Papi Steak and Treehouse Miami which is a night club filed lawsuits against the city of Miami Beach.

The city is shutting down all liquor sales in stores south of Dade Boulevard after 6 p.m. through the weekend.

Liquor store owner George Zubigara, who has owned Gulf Liquors on Alton Road for 23 years, opposes the new curfew which is affecting his business.

“The main issue is on Ocean Drive and Collins. I have nothing to do with Ocean Drive, there’s no chaos in front of my store. The rowdiness is on Ocean Drive and they get to stay open until midnight but I got to shut down at 6 p.m.,” Zubigara said.

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Zubigara doesn’t believe shutting down stores will make a difference with alcohol readily available in bars and restaurants.

“Do something fair, don’t shut me down and leave somebody else open,” Zubigara said.

According to Miami Beach police, since spring break enforcement started, more than half the citywide arrests are people who live in Miami-Dade County. Of the 636 arrests in the South Beach Entertainment District, 508 of them are locals.

Reactions have been mixed with some residents cheering the curfew which will run from 11:59 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly through Monday morning. However, others feel unfairly punished.

“Yeah, we came out to have a good time and the fact that we have to go in early it’s feels just like, wow,” one visitor said.