DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Seabreeze Boulevard in Daytona Beach is a smattering of office and restaurants, along with roughly a half-dozen bars and nightclubs along its five city blocks.
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And it comes to life every weekend night.
The city is citing concerns with fights and crimes as the reason it’s considering moving its closing time back an hour, to 2 a.m., to be in line with the rest of the cities. The city commission will debate the matter at Wednesday’s city commission meeting.
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The mayor has said in the past that the extra hour of business leads to more people flocking to Daytona Beach and more problems.
But not everyone is ready to shout last call.
Commissioner Stacy Cantu said the change drastically impacts so many people whose livelihoods depend on that surge of customers during that extra hour.
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“It doesn’t just affect the merchants, it affects bartenders, waitresses, barbacks, entertainers,” Cantu said. “I remember being in a bar, bartending (for) $30 in tips. All of a sudden, that last hour, we would have a surge of people … and I’d pick up another $100, $150.”
Other ideas people have tossed around include more police, better lighting at night, or changing the zoning regulations to have fewer bars out instead.
If the motion does not pass Wednesday night, there will be a final hearing on the matter in January.
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