South Florida

Miami Beach Considers Ban on Late Night Outdoor Alcohol Sales

The wild nights of reveling and drinking until 5 a.m as you stroll along the famous outdoor cafes of South Beach could soon be a thing of the past.

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, and commissioners, asked the city attorney Wednesday to draft an ordinance that would ban alcohol after 2 a.m. at least at outdoor cafes, bars and decks.

The move, according to Levine, is to put an end to what he calls a "cancer spreading through the city" of wild drunken partygoers wreaking havoc throughout the morning hours.

At Wednesday's meeting, NBC 6 South Florida asked Mayor Levine is reducing alcohol sales would damage the city's hot spot party image.

"I certainly hope not," Levine replied. "We want to have a great party atmosphere, but a controlled party atmosphere. A safe party atmosphere."

The proposal had broad support on the commission.

Bar owners will get a chance to have their say once the final ordinance is drafted and presented at a future meeting.

Miami Beach remains one of the most popular destinations in the U.S.

According to recent data from Travel + Leisure magazine, Miami Beach is the second most crowded beach in America, second only to California's Venice Beach, with more than 13 million estimated visitors every year.

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