Orlando City Leaders are currently working on a proposal to ban patrons under 21 from entering most bars in downtown Orlando after 10 p.m.
The plan, which aims to attract an older crowd in Downtown Orlando, will also allow downtown bars to serve alcohol until 3 a.m.
“We’re not trying to discourage anyone, put them out of business or get them to walk away from downtown. We’re trying to do just the opposite,” Thomas Chatmon of the Downtown Development Board told WESH.
The recent influx of violence downtown and more disposable income could be the reason that city leaders are pushing to appeal to an older demographic.
The change only applies to bars in the downtown area, so UCF nightlife and venues outside of downtown such as Cowboys would also not be affected. However, with downtown being open until 3 a.m. it may affect bars outside of downtown because they would have to stop serving at 2 a.m.
“I can tell you from experience, everybody has had enough to drink by 2 a.m. But if (city officials) decide it’s in the best interests of the community, let it be for the entire city, not just one cherry-picked area downtown,” Cowboys co-owner Steve Sullivan told the Orlando Sentinel.
The ban on underage patrons after 10 p.m. comes along with other city ordinances as well. City Leaders are also looking to require electronic ID scanners to verify validity of identification and hiring an off-duty Orlando police officer to keep peace in the establishments after midnight.
