by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
A committee reviewing the merits of extending alcohol sales to 4 a.m. downtown held its final meeting last month, but legislation to legally establish a later last call has yet to be voted on by the City Council since its mid-April introduction.
Bill sponsor Suzanne Jenkins, who requested it be deferred until after the special committee offered revisions to the plan, said a formal announcement regarding the 4 a.m. extension would come via a press conference in the City Council Chambers Monday at 4:30 p.m.
“They’re done meeting and I think just about everyone has given their input,” said Jenkins, who has largely stayed away from each of the committee’s five meetings. “But I don’t want to say anything else because I owe it to the men and women who served on the committee to let them make that announcement.”
Jenkins said she expects committee chair Audrey Moran, an attorney and Chief of Staff during Mayor John Delaney’s administration, would handle those duties.
Other members of the Downtown Entertainment District Community Review Committee include Foley & Lardner counsel and Jacksonville Economic Development Commissioner Bob Rhodes, The Clara White Mission’s Ju’Coby Pittman, Jacksonville Undersheriff Frank Mackesy and Jim Bailey, president of Bailey Publishing.
As previously reported, the informal committee neither supports nor opposes Jenkins’ proposed “Downtown Entertainment District.” Rather, it worked to identify potential problems that could arise if the 4 a.m. bill were to pass.
According to a draft report prepared by Dylan Reingold, an attorney in the City’s General Counsel’s Office, “The Committee understands that this ordinance is just one part of a greater effort to re-energize downtown Jacksonville. The Committee does not want the extension of the drinking time downtown to create a district of just nightclubs.
“The ordinance should assist in the development of a downtown that offers a mixture of shops, restaurants, nightclubs and bars.”
To help ensure that happens, several modifications will likely be suggested.
In previous report drafts, the committee’s recommendations include the following:
1) Sunset Provision
Based on the uncertainty of the long term effects of establishing later drinking hours, the committee may recommend the Entertainment District operate as a pilot program for two years.
2) Reduce District Boundaries
Initially spanning much of the Northbank from the Osborn Center east to the Sports Complex and on a smaller scale on the Southbank, the district may be too large to properly monitor, the draft committee report suggests. No specific boundaries have been recommended.
3) Days of Entertainment Zone Operation
The committee may recommend the zone only be allowed to operate on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights as well as on holidays.
4) Permitting Requirements and Fees
According to the draft report, “The opportunity of serving alcohol after 2 a.m. must be viewed a privilege.” As such, the committee may suggest the Council should require interested businesses to apply for a special “late night permit or license.”