No more booze sales after 2 a.m. is an idea that floating around the city of West Palm Beach. The Downtown Development Authority is hosting a meeting Thursday with business owners to discuss the proposal.
Kris Samulkewitsch makes the bulk of her tips as a bartender in the wee hours of the morning.
"It's helps from everything from rent to utilities to gas. I mean money is money," said Samulkewitsch.
That extra income every night could soon come to an end. The city of West Palm Beach is exploring the idea of cutting back the hours of alcohol sales from 4 a.m., which it is currently, to 2 a.m.
"In those two hours especially the late night crowd on the weekend, it could be in a month's time, a few hundred dollars and that's rent to somebody," added Samulkewitsch.
The idea hasn't been brought up in an official commission meeting or a workshop, but Commissioner Paula Ryan says the city administration has approached the Downtown Development Authority with talks of making the city-wide change.
"We are a late night spot here," said Michael Steinberg, General Manager at E.R. Bradley's Saloon. "It would definitely bring our sales down."
The reasoning behind the idea is to eliminate noise issues, curb violence, among other things. Steinberg says it could seriously hurt the economy especially during big events.
"On SunFest we really get cranking around midnight and it's busy till the lights come on, till four. So those two extra hours we're doing a lot of sales especially during those big weekends," added Steinberg.
Other cities like Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Boca Raton, Stuart and Port St. Lucie stop alcohol sales at bars and restaurants at 2 a.m.
The DDA is inviting business owners within the city to a meeting at 3 p.m. Dec. 10, to discuss the proposal. The meeting will be held at the DDA office downtown on Clematis Street.
