St. CLOUD, Fla. – While some Central Florida cities have limited alcohol sales hours, St. Cloud is considering extending its last call.
Today, the city council will discuss an ordinance that would change the last call in an effort to attract more people to its downtown entertainment district.
Alcohol sales have become a significant topic in Central Florida. In Kissimmee and Orlando, businesses now need an after-midnight permit to sell alcohol until 2 a.m.
Several downtown Orlando bars filed a lawsuit over the ordinance, which also requires certain bars to pay for police protection.
[PAST COVERAGE: Downtown Orlando bars can’t sell booze after midnight unless they pay for permit]
While some cities scale back, St. Cloud is looking to extend its hours.
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Right now, in downtown St. Cloud, alcohol can be served until midnight. This ordinance would push that back by an hour to 1 a.m. As it stands, people can walk around the entertainment district with a drink that they have purchased from a local bar; that will not change under this ordinance.
“Well, I’m from New York City. In New York City, they stop sales at 4 in the morning. So, midnight is a little early,” said Dario Emans, co-owner of Hunnies Body Boutique in downtown St. Cloud.
Emans supports letting people enjoy alcoholic beverages longer, especially if it boosts local business.
“Downtown needs more customers, more foot traffic, and the more — unfortunately — the more alcohol we sell them, the more people come, especially at night,” he said.
His is not the only business on board. Carliss Jones, owner of Creative1Photos, said he agrees with it, especially if it can bring an economic boost to the area.
“I think the downtown St. Cloud entertainment district is very alive and popping. I think it’s growing to another level,” he said. “I think I support that because I think that additional hour will give business owners an additional hour to generate more revenue.”
The city council will not take any action Thursday night, as this is just the first reading. It will vote on the ordinance in early April, and if approved, the change would go into effect immediately.