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Alcohol serving time extended to 3 a.m.
By SUZETTE PORTER
| Article published on Tuesday, July 27, 2010 |
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CLEARWATER – Pinellas County Commissioners voted unanimously July 27 to extend the hours that bars can serve alcohol to 3 a.m.
Municipalities can opt out and set stricter hours by ordinance if they so desire, said county attorney Jim Bennett.
Bennett also agreed to have the new ordinance express-mailed to Tallahassee, meaning county bars will have the option to serve that extra hour as early as this weekend, unless prohibited by a municipal law.
Several local bar owners showed up to express their support for the change from 2 a.m., including Loren Knuth from the Boardwalk Tavern on 54th Avenue in unincorporated St. Petersburg.
Knuth approached the commissioners asking for the change several weeks ago after the city of St. Petersburg voted to extend bar hours to 3 a.m.
Knuth said he was losing business as people drove a few blocks away to bars that could stay open later.
Three other bar owners joined Knuth testifying before the commissioners about the hardship caused by St. Petersburg’s change in hours.
The only real opposition came from a woman in Treasure Island concerned about the noise from motorcycles.
Knuth also suggested that the time be extended for package sales.
“Package sales have to stop at midnight,” he said. “If we could sell later, we could send them home to drink.”
The new law does not affect package sales.
Several municipalities have already weighed in on the issue in response to a June 4 e-mail survey sent out by Commission Chair Karen Seel.
Cities that said no or had no interest included Belleair, Belleair Bluffs, Clearwater, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores, Kenneth City, North Redington Beach, Pinellas Park, Redington Beach, Safety Harbor and Seminole.
Belleair Beach said it had “no issue” with the change, as it has no commercial businesses. The only cities that advocated extending the hours for alcohol sales were Gulfport, Oldsmar, St. Pete Beach and South Pasadena.
Largo did not respond to Seel’s request, but the commissioners said during a July 6 meeting they would favor a change in the hours if the county amended its ordinance.
Treasure Island voted July 6 to extend the hours if the county did. Madeira Beach remains undecided. No response was heard from Belleair Shore, Dunedin, Redington Shores or Tarpon Springs.
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Article published on Tuesday, July 27, 2010
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