WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — The Winter Garden City Council voted to stop sales and consumption of alcohol in establishments at midnight.
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Starting Jan. 1, 2025, establishments in Winter Garden that prefer to stay open and sell alcohol past midnight will need an approved permit.
The city said the move comes after it received dozens of complaints related to or involving alcohol.
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“It’s an accumulation of things based on the volume of police reports. It’s based on what we find as the aftermath in the morning, or the park staff has to clean up all of the detritus and junk from the night before and stuff that we caught on camera in the parking garage,” said Winter Garden spokesperson.
On Thursday, the city did not show any videos or complaints during the meeting, but the council passed the new ordinance unanimously.
The revised Ordinance 24-40 will stop the selling or consumption of alcoholic beverages at midnight unless the establishment has an approved time extension application. The ordinance will also force restaurants to stop selling and serving alcohol when and if food services are not available on-site.
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During the meeting, business owners spoke in outrage about the new regulations being stricter than state-enforced code regulations.
“If we have the ability to stay open until two then it seems like another gatekeeping opportunity for the city when there is already a gate so to speak when ti comes to the licenses,” said the owner of Lucky Straws Boba Tea Cafe.
The new Winter Garden time extension regulations start Jan. 1, 2025.
Along with the new regulations, the city has also implemented a three-strike and suspension policy that will be enforced by code enforcement.
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