Open Container Ban on the Boardwalk Overturned

The Star-bellied sneetch is not superior to the non-starbellied sneetch...all sneetches are equal

The Escambia Board of County Commissioners has voted, by a 3-2 margin, to let the open container ban at the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk sunset.

This will effectively end the prohibition on walking around the boardwalk with open containers of alcoholic beverages.  But in reality, I do not believe much (with the exception of the signage) will change.  To those with whom I have spoken and who frequent the boardwalk and who are very familiar with the issue--the problem is a lack of enforcement.

"They are not enforcing the current rule, so what good is this rule if it is not being enforced?" asked one individual with whom I recently communicated on this topic.

These drinks were purchased at one licensed premise, then carried
out of that licensed premise out on to the boardwalk-in direct
violation of our existing ordinance

"Just look at the pictures--these kids walked illegally from Bamboo Willies to sit at those seats outside of another account."  (see pictures on the right and below) When reacting to accounts of a 10-minute fight posted online from the boardwalk---this same source asked a really straightforward, rational question...



"Where were the deputies during the 10-minute fight?!?"

For my part, I was willing to give it a year, and that is why I compromised last year and voted to go forward with the ban for 2017 and then to evaluate data this year.  I did not and I do not want to punish the hard working, blue-collar worker who makes $400 a week, wants to unwind at the seashell, and can't afford a $100 bar tab--but who still wants to go where the action is and enjoy a couple of beers on the boardwalk.  Why should I punish him?  Answer, I won't.  And I also won't banish him to some dark and empty corner of the sandy beach like he's somehow inferior to those that can afford high-dollar cocktails at the boardwalk clubs--like a modern-day version of "The Sneetches."  So I voted last year the way I did to compromise, ahead of the year's data which I have now analyzed.....

The data is in:  Alcohol sales are stable, slightly increasing;  Crime--year over year many infractions have gone way up. So the ban had no effect on crime on the boardwalk.

Therefore, the board voted to end the ban.

I was provided this picture from a recent Friday evening, of folks strolling on the boardwalk, outside of licensed premises carrying open containers of alcoholic beverages in violation of our existing ordinance--and state beverage law!

I think going forward we need more security at the boardwalk, more enforcement of existing beverage law (no moving from licensed premise to licensed premise with mixed drinks, no selling

 mixed drinks for off-premise consumption or selling mixed drinks off the licensed premise [e.g. cocktail waitresses selling mixed cocktails on mom's beach from the boardwalk], and if there are

Open Container Ban on the Boardwalk Redux....

Last year the debate was rancorous.  On one side, certain special interests were speaking in platitudes as they exclaimed that "the environment is better at the boardwalk" and it is more "family friendly" when there is an open container ban on the boardwalk.

So eventually, the board compromised and said we would go a year with the ban in place, at which point we would study sales and crime data to make a determination as to whether or not the alcohol ban truly was effective and whether or not it should/would be continued.

A survey was considered, but once the potential questions were presented to the BCC--this idea was quickly scuttled, as the questions read almost like a push-poll against alcohol consumption on the boardwalk.

Fast forward to last month, and before the SRIA even voted to recommend an extension of the ban formally--I received a draft letter purportedly from the SRIA that said essentially "The SRIA wishes to express to the BCC that we want the open container ordinance continued" (paraphrased).  The funny thing is--the SRIA hadn't even met and I still got that draft--and when they did meet, they did not vote to send us a letter.  They wanted more time to look at the data to decide.

Fast forward to last week, and lo and behold the SRIA voted and pushed the open container ordinance back to us, requesting that we continue it for a year.  (and we received the pre-written letter offically this time, after the vote)

But I had requested the crime stats and hadn't received them.  I asked again, and again and again.  Finally, I received the stats and after comparing them year over year, I found what I expected.  Some infractions went down, some stayed the same but several categories of infractions are up, way up, year over year.  Misc. Crimes are up, Affray is up 300% at the boardwalk, Aggravated Assault are up, Aggravated Battery is up, Disorderly Intoxication is up, family disturbances are up, DUI's are up etc. etc.

So the crime angle doesn't play well, for me, in the argument to continue the ban.  Add to this the fact that now many of the licensed alcohol premises on the boardwalk have created outdoor patios on the boardwalk where their customers can drink (and some customers have been seen carrying drinks from place to place--which in istelf violates the ordinance and state beverage law) and also keep in mind that the establishments out there, some of them, send waitresses down to the sandy sound-side beach below to sell mixed drinks (which is a violation of state beverage law) and you have almost this "We can violate the law but we don't want THEM to bring open containers through the boardwalk" mentality.  I don't like it.  Follow the law, all of it, and you would have a lot more credibility.

How about this novel concept:  Instead of making the good citizens pay the price by not being able to enjoy a cold beer as they stroll the boardwalk--how about you just enforce all the laws and punish those that break the law and become disorderly?  This would also serve to dispel the persistent rumor that infers that this ban is a de facto way to keep certain types of folks out of this area......Enforce the law, welcome everyone, of every age and race, and strictly enforce the law with security and off-duty cops--this way nobody can ever falsely accuse the boardwalk folks of any discrimination of any kind.

To do otherwise, and to say you can only enjoy the boardwalk with a beverage in "our" private   "areas" (if you purchase our high-dollar drinks from us) is nothing but a method of punishing the good people for the misdeeds of the few.

I won't ever support that.