Miami Beach mayor wants ‘last call’ in South Beach at 2 a.m. for spring break
After his predecessor failed in an attempt to move up last call on Ocean Drive, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said he is taking a more measured approach to rewriting the “anything goes” perception of South Beach by limiting alcohol sales during spring break.
Gelber is proposing a 2 a.m. limit on alcohol sales in and around the city’s popular entertainment district for 17 days in March during spring break.
As the law is presently written, last call is at 5 a.m. across the city.
“This is moderation, not overreaction,” Gelber told the Miami Herald. “To be clear, the status quo is absolutely unacceptable.”
The following areas would be affected by the proposed rollback: Ocean Drive; Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue from Fifth to 16th streets, and the remaining area between Pennsylvania Avenue and Collins Court from Fifth to 16th streets, including Española Way.
The rollback, which is scheduled to begin on March 6 and continue for 17 days, would only affect the sale of alcohol for on-site consumption, like at bars and restaurants. There is already an 8 p.m. last call for the purchase of beer and wine at supermarkets or convenience stores and spirits at liquor stores near the entertainment district.
The proposed law will come before the commission Wednesday for a preliminary vote. If approved in concept, the quickest the resolution could be officially approved would be at the Feb. 26 commission meeting.
Dovetailing with Gelber’s proposal is one by the city administration asking the commission to expand the emergency powers of City Manager Jimmy Morales from 72 hours to include the entire month of March, and approving a punch list of “high-impact period” measures.
The proposed measures include suspending all sidewalk café operations in and around the entertainment district and shutting down Ocean Drive and portions of Española Way to vehicular traffic a few days per week throughout the month.
In an effort to “rebrand” Miami Beach’s reputation as spring break destination, the city administration is also proposing to produce a month-long festival along six blocks of Lummus Park in South Beach.
Complaints about raucous crowds sparked an emergency meeting of city officials during last year’s spring break.
Gelber said his proposal is more “measured” than the 2017 push by then-Mayor Philip Levine to limit alcohol sales year round. A majority of voters sunk a ballot initiative that would have moved up last call to 2 a.m. on Ocean Drive from Fifth to 15th streets.
“The ballot initiative was not a way to address the challenges of the entertainment district,” Gelber said. “We have needed a multi-faceted approach directed at the issues and solutions, so rather than an across-the-board, all-year-long approach, this is just one piece of many other things we’re doing.”
He pointed to a recently passed law preventing promoters from advertising events at clubs or bars during periods of high tourism, like spring break, as one of the tools the city can use to control crowds during peak periods.
“There’s no amount of drink sales that can justify a perilous situation for our residents and visitors,” he said. “We think this is an appropriate, measured response. My ultimate hope is that it sends a message to people who want to come here.”
“Don’t come to this community if you think it’s an anything-goes place. It’s not.”
Local business interests, including the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, pushed back on the proposal almost immediately, calling it damaging to the tourism industry that relies on hotel bookings in March.
“Everyone is in this great mood because we just had this Super Bowl and it went so smoothly,” said Lynne Hernandez, the South Florida regional director for the Florida Restaurant Lodging Association. “Everything is going so well. Let’s not jinx it.”
Hernandez said the proposed law would not yield the result the city imagines, and rushing out a new law before the busiest month of the season would send a negative message to tourists.
Misbehaving crowds are not going to buy a pricey cocktail at a sidewalk cafe, she said. They’re likely to bring six packs to the beach.
“We obviously want a safe community,” she said. “We just feel this is a bit rushed.”
In a letter to the mayor and commissioners on Feb. 5, the heads of the Ocean Drive Association, Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Washington Avenue Business Improvement District said that stopping alcohol sales at 2 a.m. would push attendees of the Ultra Music Festival away from the city.
While they acknowledge that spring breakers have created public safety issues, the business leaders said banning booze won’t stop bad behavior. Instead they recommend limiting points of entry for pedestrians on Ocean Drive and discouraging crowds from forming through the city’s programming and police tactics.
“Public safety and crowd control issues are present at all hours of the day and night,” the letter reads. “Therefore, focusing on the post-2 a.m. period is illogical.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Miami Beach mayor wants ‘last call’ in South Beach at 2 a.m. for spring break."
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