Last call for alcohol on South Beach

In the aftermath of a Memorial Weekend shooting, Miami Beach officials want to make 2 a.m. the last call for alcohol on Ocean Drive, the city’s iconic hot spot for people who love the night life.

Never mind that the shooting happened at 10:35 p.m. Or the racial undertones in calling for a curfew after “Urban Beach Week” — an event that draws thousands of African-Americans to South Beach and has had some issues.

Miami Beach commissioners took the easy way out by punting the last-call question to voters. Think about it. Who turns out for municipal elections? Older people typically in bed by 2 a.m. The commission’s decision means that to save their bottom lines, businesses must pay to mount a campaign.

It’s our belief that nothing good happens after 2 a.m., but we also believe city leaders should make this decision after considering the data on public safety and the consequences for businesses and tourism. After all, they’re elected to make tough decisions, not pass the buck to the tyranny of the majority. Plus, there’s history on last-call laws. Three months ago in Boca Raton, city council members enforced a 2 a.m. curfew on alcohol sales after residents complained about noise and crime. The ordinance affects two clubs near Town Center at Boca Raton that were part of a land annexation in 2003 and allowed to serve alcohol until 5 a.m. But what’s good for a suburban community doesn’t likely translate to an entertainment magnet.

On the other hand, this month in California, the state Senate passed a bill to let communities serve alcohol until 4 a.m. If the Assembly agrees, a 1930s-era law that bans alcohol sales after 2 a.m. would be upended. Senators said ride-sharing apps, like Uber and Lyft, have made the roads safer. They also mentioned losing tourism to cities like Las Vegas and, yes, Miami Beach.

Now consider that two years ago in Fort Lauderdale, city commissioners proposed a 2 a.m. alcohol curfew, but changed course in the face of pushback from the business community.

“You go home at 2 in the morning in Dayton, Ohio,” said Parrot Lounge owner Tim Schiavone at the time. “You don’t want to do that when you’re in Fort Lauderdale.”

Fort Lauderdale now allows bars in two entertainment districts — the beach and Himmarshee Village on Southwest Second Street — to serve alcohol until 4 a.m.

But while Fort Lauderdale allows latenight sales in commercial pockets, Miami Beach proposes just the opposite. It wants to restrict only Ocean Drive establishments from serving alcohol after 2 a.m.

Hotels would get a waiver, not that hotel operators are happy. They wouldn’t be able to serve alcohol outside after 2 a.m., which affects popular hot spots like the Clevelander. No more sipping a late-night glass of wine and enjoying the ocean breeze. You’d have to go inside.

It’s short-sighted to single out Ocean Drive. South Beach has international pizzazz. Yes, it attracts a nighttime crowd that can make fuddy-duddies scratch their heads and wonder where these folks go during the day. But people who read the editorial pages are not its target market.

The city says it’s losing money on latenight alcohol sales — that the area generates about $197,892 in resort taxes, but the city spends $814,812 on late-night patrols, for a net loss of $619,920.

It’s a disingenuous argument. Ocean Drive visitors spend money beyond hotels. And more people visit the drive than rent hotel rooms there.

Last year, the city proposed a similar referendum, but held off after Ocean Drive businesses devised a 10-point plan to address more lighting, private security and the creation of a taxing district to enhance the area. The plan took effect less than a year ago and crime is down, according to police statistics.

The city should give the business community more time to fully implement the plan. If problems persist, a curfew can always be revisited.

“Little by little we’re implementing all these measures,” said Alexander Tachmes, attorney for the Ocean Drive Association. “Now it’s all in jeopardy.”

Miami Beach mayoral candidates Dan Gelber and Michael Grieco both support the 2 a.m. curfew. Grieco said he’s concerned about potential job losses and negative publicity, but still supports it.

Gelber told the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board it’s about more than alcohol — a plan is needed to clean up the area with the help of code enforcement, noise ordinances and law enforcement. But he said the curfew will help. “We need to regain control of our streets.”

Everyone in South Florida wants safety, but a 2 a.m. curfew on Ocean Drive will change the South Florida scene and hurt businesses.

The city should learn from others and give businesses time to address the issues.

And don’t use Urban Beach Week to justify an unpopular course of action.

And don’t turn South Florida into Dayton.