Title
Underage Drinking in Nightclubs (NB)
Explanation
On October 14, 2002 the City Commission referred the issue of underage drinking in nightclubs, where the drinking age is 21 to the Public Safety Committee for discussion.
The Public Safety Committee held two meetings in November and December and heard from business owners, citizen and student groups and staff. Staff was assigned to survey other cities where a similar ordinance had been proposed or enacted. Those cities included Miami Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers and Tampa. Numerous documents on the research of these cities were provided, as well as local arrest statistics of alcohol related charges for under 21 years of age. After review and discussion of the information presented, the committee concurs with City Attorney staff's opinion that local government does not have the authority to enact an ordinance which will prohibit those persons under 21 from entering an alcohol establishment based on statutory provisions in Secton 562.45(c) and 562.48 F.S.
Recommendation
The City Commission refer, as appropriate to staff or committees 1) zoning density with regard to the number of bars in one area of the city 2) Gainesville Police Department work with the Downtown Redevelopment Advisory Board in dealing with crowd control and enforcement resources needed to effectively staff in downtown and, 3) remove this item from the Public Safety Committee pending referral list.