Voters Will Decide on Last Call for Ocean Drive

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Responding to the vicious Memorial Day incidents that marred the holiday weekend, Miami Beach commissioners unanimously voted on Wednesday to let voters decide on Mayor Philip Levine's controversial proposal to limit alcohol sales on Ocean Drive. The iconic outdoor cafes that line the 10-block strip serve alcohol until 5 a.m. but would be forced to stop serving at 2 a.m. under the proposal.

The restriction would not affect indoor hotel bars. (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

"Ocean Drive's raucous atmosphere negatively impacts residents and erodes the Miami Beach brand, all year long," insisted Levine in a statement after the vote. "I want to bring back Ocean Drive to its glory days, so it can be enjoyed by families and residents."

Like your Miami Beach Patch

Levine called for the restriction after a series of violent incidents over Memorial Day weekend left two people dead and at least three others injured.

"Ocean Drive now has the highest concentration of police resources in the City," he said, noting that there were no significant full-time police resources dedicated to Ocean Drive when Police Chief Daniel Oates took over the department in June of 2014.

Since that time, he said that the chief has reorganized the department.

"Due to these efforts, major crime has dropped nearly 16 percent in 2016 and crime continues to trend downward in 2017," according to Levine. "In the last six weeks, five out of 10 officers designated to Ocean Drive have been injured protecting this area."

The mayor pointed to the disparity in the $814,812 that the city paid to keep Ocean Drive safe after 2 a.m. last year versus the $197,892 it recouped in resort taxes for sales between 2-5 a.m. in that area.

He released a chart on Wednesday that was dubbed "dollars and sense," undoubtedly the start of a public awareness campaign aimed to sway the minds of city voters in what is likely to be a heated campaign issue between now and the November ballot.

"To accomplish this goal, we need to create a safe atmosphere so all people can enjoy Lummus Park and the restaurants fronting Ocean Drive," Levine said. "Limiting alcohol sales after 2 a.m. will decrease alcohol-fueled violence and crime that occurs in these late night hours."

Levine had earlier bristled at a pledge by Miami Beach Commissioner and mayoral candidate Michael Grieco to end the annual tradition of Urban Beach Week that falls over Memorial Day weekend, opting instead to target outdoor liquor sales.

The mayor has said that Memorial Day weekend arrests were actually down by 50 percent between this year and last. There had not been a shooting on the long weekend since 2011 before this past Memorial Day Weekend, according to Levine.

In addition to the ballot question, the mayor also introduced an ordinance on Wednesday aimed at eliminating a special exemption to the city's noise ordinance that allows Ocean Drive businesses to play loud music through the night.

"This prohibits music from being projected from properties into the street and sidewalk," he explained. "By reducing excessive noise in the streets, the atmosphere will be toned down."

Commissioners also approved a change in packaged liquor sales in the entertainment district from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. People had been able to purchase packaged liquor from 8 a.m. to midnight. Levine said that officials will look at additional restrictions on packaged goods in the future.

When he initially announced his proposal to turn back the outdoor liquor sales on Ocean Drive, Levine pointed to similar limitations on alcohol in Fort Lauderdale and Coconut Grove, a contention that drew jeers from one Ocean Drive businessman in the audience:

Police responded to three separate shootings and a stabbing incident that occurred during a beach brawl over the long holiday weekend. All of the incidents occurred well before 2 a.m. but Levine said that the late closing times attract an undesirable element.

The incidents coincided with Urban Beach Week, a free-flowing hip-hop festival that stretches over Memorial Day weekend. The event has been a source of concern to city officials for years, but Levine insists that the problem is much broader.

Photo of Ocean Drive by Paul Scicchitano.