city to erect a giant fence around ybor
SmittyIn an effort to “protect young people,” Tampa city attorney David Smith has asked Attorney General Charlie Crist to comment on whether the city has the legal ability to regulate drink specials at local bars. The problem, says Mayor Iorio, is “some bars in the Ybor City who were encouraging all-you-can-drink specials, resulting in people getting drunk and creating numerous problems in the entertainment district.”
The AG will decide whether the city can move forward legally or not. The question is, should they? The Tribune article references Ybor City a number of times and not any other neighborhood, which is interesting because Tampa-if I remember right, and I know I’ve been gone about two months now-has a lot of bars outside of Ybor. Would it be right for the city to target Ybor establishments exclusively in an effort to create a “family-friendly” atmosphere? If not, should the city apply restrictions against 3-for-1 specials and ladies’ nights citywide? How far should the rights of restaurant and bar owners go to protect their ability to draw a crowd?
I don’t imagine bars make a dime on 3-for-1 specials, and certainly they don’t make money from the women who go to ladies’ night; it’s about bringing in a larger crowd. And when you bring in a larger crowd, more of them drink, more of them get drunk, and not necessarily the people drinking 3-for-1s or free cosmopolitans. Is it the government’s job to keep people from getting drunk? If so, is this a good way to go about it?
Tags: city, service, tampa, tourism, ybor
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September 14th, 2006 at 4:18 pm
Lots of states have regulations on this sort of thing — I was sort of surprised when I moved here and saw what they could do with sink-or-swims, et cetera.
September 14th, 2006 at 5:21 pm
If we just closed all the bars and made people stay home and watch FOX news all the time we wouldn’t have this problem.
Shouldn’t allow takehome sales either.
Why not just re-establish prohibiton ? That would surely solve it all.
And since obesity has become such a problem, why not bust McDonalds, Burger King, and all those other joints selling upsize drinks. Isn’t that sort of like happy hours and three for ones ?
September 14th, 2006 at 6:01 pm
It is not the specials that get people in trouble it is the people. It is the people that don’t know when to quit. It is the people that don’t arrange a designated driver. It is the people that get mean and stupid while drunk. If you take away the specials all it will do is make those people spend more money.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:44 pm
Sneer all you want people, it’s actually a great idea. Rather than move and lock up a thousand drunks a thousand times, move the drunk tank once and lock it with one key. I can see it now, it’s 2:30 AM at the gate entrance: “Is it time Roy?”, “Sure is Bob, let’s see that key!”. *click*
Incredible public safety savings I say. Incredible savings!
September 14th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
hey, what if they just tamped down on DUI’s and DIP’s? Hmmmm? Or they could do like DC and make ladies night illegal because it’s discrimination against men.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:43 pm
The idea is to quit dangling drunken women in front of horny, drunken men for profit.
September 14th, 2006 at 11:36 pm
just take a look at pam iorio: i doubt shes ever had a drink of anything but cool-aid. this is what is running tampa these days.
September 15th, 2006 at 2:42 am
Here we go again, government as mommy.
I remember automatic gun fire on 7th and 15th back in ‘91. It was the bars that changed all that.
Make money?
100 people spending $20.
or
1000 people spending $5.
Cheap well liquor and draft beer and an under-satffed bar. It’s the only way most bars can do a good business on a weekday night. It’s also one of the best nights money wise for the staff.
September 15th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
I agree with wifey. And why is it always Ybor? MacDinton’s has the $10 all you can drink from 6-8 p.m. special on Friday nights as well as Whisky Park North and I’m sure many other bars.
September 15th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
Ybor has 3 for 1’s??? And I’ve been bothering to go to Applebee’s for 2 for 1 bourbon Manhattans…I say we demand the right to buy bourbon in the grocery store at 2 AM in the morning…just like I did in New Orleans one time.
September 17th, 2006 at 4:03 am
Ah, how I remember the days of my youth and sink or swim nights at Empire. It was fun. I hope they don’t make it illegal.
I can’t do that anymore though.
September 17th, 2006 at 8:05 am
I was reading these comments and it suddenly struck me: we here at beautiful Camp Lemony Snicket have restrictions in place already: you get a card, and the bartenders mark your card. You can only have three beers a night, no more–and you can’t get them all at once, either.
We also have a special anti-designated driver rule, whereby if you go off base to have dinner in town (there are, I think, three passable restaurants), they mark your beer card before you leave so you can’t get any beers when you come back. So if you go out into town and are responsible and have a DD, the DD can’t have any beers when you get back to camp. How cool is that?
Government always does the best job of regulating things.