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Alcohol sales at Miami Beach's bars and clubs could end three hours earlier after most voters favored the measure in a referendum Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
An increase in nighttime violence, unruly crowds and public drinking in the South Beach entertainment district spurred the vote that would move the halting of alcohol sales from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Tension has been mounting for years in the area as crowds of partiers began showing up year-round rather than for a few weekends. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the issue as city officials blocked vehicles from the area's main street so restaurants along Ocean Drive could set up more outdoor seating areas, AP reported.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, a supporter of the alcohol sales measure and reelection winner on Tuesday, lauded both victories, according to AP. He said that imposing an earlier limit for when people can buy alcohol can better balance South Beach's entertainment district as a "live, work, play" area with the addition of new living spaces, offices and cultural areas.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
The city imposed an 8 p.m. curfew during spring break, when more than 1,000 people were arrested. But it wasn't entirely clear how much support such measures had among citizens in a city that depends on tourism.
The city's commissioners had agreed to a temporary restriction of early-morning alcohol sales in South Beach last summer. Now city staff must develop legislation to codify the referendum. Gelber said he expects commissioners to support such measures now that voters have spoken.
In 2017, voters rejected a similar proposal for a 2 a.m. alcohol sales ban on South Beach's Ocean Drive, the Miami Herald reported.
Exemptions are possible—Gelber said he would be open to letting bigger hotels with security staffs continue serving alcohol until 5 a.m.
Critics said the earlier cutoff would cost the city millions without stopping crime. South Beach club owners poured $675,000 into a failed campaign to kill the referendum, the newspaper reported.
"Today's non-binding straw poll was an attempt at misdirection by leaders who have failed to stem the growing problems of crime on Miami Beach," said a statement from Citizens for a Safe Miami Beach, which plans to "oppose solutions that do nothing to solve crime, but will cost 4,100 local workers their jobs, increase property taxes, and cut tens of millions of dollars from city revenues."
About the writer
Zoe Strozewski is a Newsweek reporter based in New Jersey. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and global politics. Zoe ... Read more