ORLANDO, Fla. — There is an ongoing debate surrounding safety in Orlando.
VIDEO: Downtown Orlando introduces new security measures after shooting injures 7
A focus of the debate is the around 100 bars in the downtown entertainment district.
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Orlando City Commissioner Jim Gray told Channel 9 that more alcohol means more trouble.
Photos: Orlando looking to reduce bars downtown to help improve safety
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Gray has proposed to add more retail to the area.
WATCH: Orlando looks to have new business owners develop safety plan to serve alcohol
“Nighttime in downtown Orlando is all about bad behavior,” Gray said. “We’re pouring too much alcohol.”
City data that 9 Investigates obtained shows that in the year before the pandemic, there were about 3,200 calls for violent crimes and suspicious incidents in the downtown area.
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“How we move away from having 100 bars, we probably have to start incentivizing some things to come in,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
Last year, after most businesses were back open, there were more than 3,600 calls.
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