… final approval to an ordinance that will require businesses serving alcohol to close by 12 a.m.
New rules require bars in Sunrise to close by midnight
By Jennifer Gollan
January 23, 2008
SUNRISE? Hoping to curb alcohol-related violence, the city’s bars and nightclubs are now required to shut by midnight unless they receive a special city permit to close later, according to new rules.
January 23, 2008
SUNRISE? Hoping to curb alcohol-related violence, the city’s bars and nightclubs are now required to shut by midnight unless they receive a special city permit to close later, according to new rules.
Sunrise Commissioners on Tuesday Jan. 22 gave final approval to an ordinance that will require businesses serving alcohol to close by 12 a.m.
Businesses wishing to stay open later may apply for a special exception from the city to close at 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 3 a.m. on weekends-the last calls permitted prior to the new rules.
“Anybody that wants to open after 12 a.m. has to apply for an extended hours permit,” said Sunrise Police Chief John Brooks. “It puts some teeth into us dealing with places that are problematic and where we’ve had acts of violence.”
The state provides that establishments serving alcohol may stay open until midnight; but cities wishing to keep their bars open later may do so.
All property owners within 500 feet will be notified by the city of pending applications for extended hours, giving them the chance to appear before the commission and express their opposition.
The ordinance, which won the commission’s preliminary approval on Jan. 8, is effective immediately. But the city will give businesses six months to apply for extended-hours permits.
Among the factors city officials will consider in granting special exception permits are how often police responded to emergency calls at a given business.
Bars and nightclubs where police have responded three times in a given year will be required to hire off-duty police detail to patrol their property.
“It gives the city the leverage to offer the special exception,” said Commissioner Joseph Scuotto. “If we do have someone that had a lot of police calls responding to fighting and violence, now we have the ability to pull their special exception license.
Jennifer Gollan can be reached at jgollan@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7920.
