Title
Bar Closing Times - Discussion with University of Florida Student Government (B)
Explanation
This item was referred from a Special City Commission meeting held on September 14, 2004 with UF Student Government, for the Public Safety Committee to review the bar closing hours. The Public Safety Committee held three public meetings and heard from University of Florida officials, the UF SAFE (Safe and Fair Entertainment) Committee, citizens, business members, and Police and City Attorney staff. The committee received and discussed reports from the Gainesville Police Department on staffing related to bar closings, from the City Attorney's Office on surveys of peer cities, from the University of Florida Assistant Director of Student Activities, from the UF Professor of Pharmacology, from the UF Director of Student Health Center and from the UF SAFE Committee. These reports are provided in the back-up documents.
Discussion focused on the impact of changing the bar closing hours from the current time of 2:00 a.m. to the extended time of 3:00 a.m. The SAFE Committee expressed concern with crowd dispersal and difficulty in accessing public and private transportation due to the crowds at 2:00 a.m. Their proposal to extend the bar hours was not to continue serving or selling, but to allow patrons the additional hour to leave the establishment at their leisure, making for a more efficient exit. The peer city survey conducted by the City Attorney's office reflected the majority bar closing and bar hours at the 2:00 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. hour, with only two outliers that closed at 3:00 a.m. The staffing report prepared by the Gainesville Police Department reflected an approximate $55,000 increased cost for officers to cover an additional hour, which would also result in an impact to all shifts. The report noted the extended impact on quality of life issues in the downtown/university area, such as boom box noise, additional traffic congestion and increase in opportunity for crimes due to officers covering the downtown and University bar areas. University of Florida officials provided alcohol consumption statistics and numerous documents in opposition to extending the bar hours.
After thorough discussion of the reports and the facts presented, the Committee concluded that they did not receive information that rose to the level of changing the ordinance. The Committee did express that they are cognizant of the crowd dispersal problem between 1:45 and 1:55 a.m. as an area that would be beneficial to address. The Committee acknowledges appreciation to UF officials for their extensive research, and to Student Body President Goldberg for his diplomacy and professionalism in representing the students.
Recommendation
The City Commission 1) receive and accept the Public Safety Committee report and recommendation to make no changes to the ordinance, maintaining the bar closing hours at 2:00 a.m., and 2) remove this item from the Public Safety Committee's pending referral list.