New Proposal Could End Drinking In Miami’s South Beach At 2 AM

A proposed 12-point plan is seeking to end Miami’s South Beach party time at 2 am.

According to Local 10 News, Miami Beach’s mayor Dan Gelber is behind the effort and hopes to improve safety and control crowds.

Gelber wants to move the 5 am alcohol sales cut-off time to 2 am. The first item on his plan is a “Liquor License Reform,” which says: There is no reason our City needs 170 establishments able to sell liquor all night long. All it does is project to the world that we are a place that embraces hard partying . . .”

This isn’t the first time someone has tried to push for new times. The idea has been presented many times but has been unsuccessful.

“First of all, I think that this last experience, perhaps COVID, increased how manageable it was. It has really galvanized the community,” Gelber said.

Gelber anticipates that the city commission will put his plan into action through legislative measures. Still, if they do not, he is hopeful Miami Beach residents will choose to put them on the November ballot.

“I think many of my colleagues will support them, and some may sponsor them,” Gelber said.

Commissioners are scheduled to join Wednesday to talk about other points of Gelber’s plan, including more alcohol restrictions such as eliminating noise exemptions and updating land regulations to encourage a “live, work, play” atmosphere. The mayor also wants to add a dedicated code enforcement unit just for South Beach, to name a few.