ORLANDO, Fla. – New rules surrounding downtown Orlando bars are now in effect.
Starting Monday, bars cannot sell alcohol after midnight unless they have paid for a special permit and implemented new security measures.
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Some business owners said the cost and effort to keep up with the new rules may be too much of a burden. There are also concerns that the city rushed to put the rules in place.
Orlando officials said on Friday that only 28 out of 60 applicants had been approved for the permit.
“I think it’s really unfortunate that we’re sticking to such a harsh deadline when it’s really created just arbitrarily because it’s just one day,” Monica McCown, the vice president of the Orlando Hospitality Alliance, told News 6. “It’s not that next week is going to be more dangerous or less dangerous than the week before when none of these permits have been issued yet.”
Other safety requirements are also now in place. They include paying for off-duty police officers, metal detector wands if occupancy is over 50, using an ID scanner and keeping a log of customers after 10 p.m.
Patrons are also giving mixed reactions to the new rules as there are concerns on the effect all of this will have this upcoming weekend with Cinco de Mayo.
“I feel like there could be some more measure that are taken to make us safer other than that, but if that’s what they feel like is necessary then why not,” said James Carter, a fitness trainer in Orlando.
City officials said they were working hard to process the applications for permits, but some had been submitted as recently as Friday morning.
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