Downtown property owners are being polled for their opinion on extending the hours for serving alcoholic beverages to 4 a.m.
City Council member Suzanne Jenkins, whose district includes part of the downtown area, has formed a five-person committee to study the proposed legislation.
The committee, called the Downtown Entertainment District Community Review Committee and chaired by attorney Audrey Moran, in turn asked Downtown Vision Inc. and the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce to survey its members.
DVI is made up of downtown property owners, who pay an annual fee based on their property evaluation, to fund the promotional organization.
DVI’s email went out this week and reads:
“As you may have heard, the Jacksonville City Council is currently considering extending last call for alcohol by two hours for bars and restaurants in a specific Downtown district, so that these establishments could serve alcohol until 4 a.m.
“The Downtown Entertainment District Community Review Committee, a group weighing the pros and cons of this proposal, has asked us to find out what our Downtown stakeholders think about this change in legislation.
“While the specific boundaries that will be included in this change have not been set in stone, we do know that this will only affect businesses in the Downtown area, and will not include those located in other parts of Duval County.
“As a Downtown stakeholder, we would like to know your feelings on this important issue. Please take a moment to answer this brief survey.
“1. Do you support the legislation that would extend last call for serving alcohol in Downtown from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.?
“2. Do you believe the extension of last call for serving alcohol will attract new businesses to locate in Downtown?
“3. Do you believe the extension of last call for serving alcohol will have a positive economic impact on existing bars and restaurants in Downtown?
“4. Do you have any additional comments or concerns about the legislation?”
The Chamber emailed its members asking for reaction but didn’t include a questionnaire.