Daytona Beach's 3 a.m. bar closing time will change to 2 a.m. starting June 1

DAYTONA BEACH — In three months, Daytona Beach's 3 a.m. bar closing time will push back an hour to 2 a.m.

It's an idea that city commissioners have discussed for more than a decade, but the growing late-night noise, fights, trash and mayhem on Seabreeze Boulevard has convinced a majority of the city's elected leaders to see if closing bars an hour earlier will help.

"Businesses do not have a right to infringe on the residents and reputation of Daytona Beach all in the name of making a dollar," Mayor Derrick Henry said at Wednesday night's City Commission meeting.

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Henry added that "our police are beat down" by the weekend lawlessness and chaos that erupts on cue every weekend.

It probably won't quell bar owners' objections to losing an hour of business starting June 1, but the bar time measure does provide exceptions that will allow bars to stay open until 3 a.m. on New Year's Eve, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, the day of the Coke Zero race and during Speedweeks, the Turkey Rod Run, Bike Week, Biketoberfest and Jeep Beach.

The decision to do away with the 3 a.m. closing time most of the year, the latest in Volusia County for decades, came on a split 4-3 vote. City commissioners Stacy Cantu, Ruth Trager and Dannette Henry all voted to keep the 3 a.m. bar time.

"If bars close early, it ain't gonna make a damn bit of difference," Trager, who along with her husband owned and operated a bar on Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard for decades, said before commissioners voted.

Trager argued that the bad behavior outside the bars will just start now at 2 a.m. instead of 3 a.m. She also maintains that it's not the bars causing the problems on the streets, and it's not fair to take away their last hour of business.

Trager said most bar owners follow the rules and the law because they know they can lose their license and be shut down if they don't.

Cantu also tried to keep the 3 a.m. bar closing in place. She said it's not fair to punish bars citywide for problems on Seabreeze Boulevard, and she also said it's not fair to punish bar employees.

"I do know you make a lot of money in that last hour," said Cantu, who worked at local bars in the 1980s.

Other ideas to remedy problems

Police Chief Jakari Young said he and his staff have been compiling a list of measures that, in addition to bars closing earlier, could help fight problems around the nightclubs.

A plan is being developed to open a police substation on the northeast corner of Glenview Boulevard and Grandview Avenue, something commissioners would have to approve.

Young said police have also discussed creating a trespass system to keep repeat offenders out of bars.

Police Capt. Scott Lee said other ideas discussed include reducing roadside parking in the 500 and 600 blocks of Seabreeze Boulevard and establishing a pickup area for people using Uber, Lyft and taxis.

The area could also use better lighting, and cameras could help deter and solve crimes, Lee said. Facial recognition software could be used, and an ID swipe system could catch fake IDs and underage drinkers, he said. Loud speakers could also be set up to let people know bars are closing and it's time to leave the area, he said.

Rules city commissioners passed in 2016 also give the police chief the ability to revoke the licenses of problem bars that break the rules.

Residents 'now beyond discouraged'

Fifteen local residents and business owners spoke during Wednesday's commission meeting at City Hall, and most made a plea to commissioners to shut down bars at 2 a.m.

Steven Barnes, who has lived one block from Seabreeze Boulevard for 22 years, said he's seen "the slow, slow decline of Seabreeze Boulevard."

"I've seen group fights at 3 a.m., and countless car wrecks into the traffic calming island," Barnes said. "My fence was run into five times, four times after 3 a.m."

Kerry Marsh, who lives three blocks from Seabreeze Boulevard, said the noise coming off the beachside corridor at night is so bad it rattles her windows.

Another woman who lives on North Wild Olive Avenue said some of her neighbors "are terrified to go to Seabreeze" because of the fights that break out.

Suzanne Odena, who lives on North Wild Olive Avenue, said she's seen fights on her corner and even in her front yard.

"The noise is louder than the TV at 12:30 a.m.," Odena said. "I'd be happy to have them open for 24 hours if they were good neighbors."

Emily Nice, co-chair of the Seabreeze Neighborhood Watch, said most residents fear the crime on Seabreeze. She said crowds can hang around the corridor lined with bars and restaurants until 6 a.m.

Although city crews do their best to pick up trash and pressure wash once a week, by the weekend the area "looks filthy," Nice said.

"Seabreeze residents are now beyond discouraged," she said.

A closer look at city law

Randall Phillips, owner of the Tir Na Nog Irish Pub on east International Speedway Boulevard, said losing that last hour of customers is going to hurt his staff's ability to pay their bills. They can pick up $100 in tips in the last hour, he said.

Phillips is also unconvinced that closing bars earlier will solve any problems.

Kyriakos Drymonis, whose family operates Razzle's nightclub on Seabreeze Boulevard, said the businesses on the beachside road have created the year-round economy that city leaders have said the beachside needs. It's also giving employees steady work, he said.

Brian Mills, owner and operator of a Seabreeze Boulevard restaurant, said problems on the road go beyond the bars. He said homeless people hang around the area, and he has had to pick up drug needles near his building.

"Whether you pass this or not, there's still things that need to be addressed," Mills said.

City law says Daytona Beach businesses that sell alcohol can be open only from 7 a.m. to midnight unless they secure an extended hours permit.

The permits, which have to be renewed annually, currently allow businesses to serve alcohol until 2:30 a.m. and remain open until 3 a.m. as long as they follow certain requirements, including regulating noise, using security cameras to record all entrance and exit points used by patrons, and maintaining security or police officers on their property.

Businesses with extended hours permits can't allow any additional customers to enter after 2:30 a.m. At that time, all of their lighted signage on the exterior of the premises must be turned off.

At 3 a.m., all customers must leave and only on-duty employees can remain inside the business.

Permits can be suspended if businesses are connected to issues such as excessive illegal parking and calls for law enforcement services.

The change commissioners made Wednesday night means that beginning June 1 last call will be just before 2 a.m., and then at 2 a.m. customers will have to clear out.

The change puts Daytona Beach in line with the rest of Volusia County, which has its bars closed down by 2 a.m. every night.

You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach bars will have to close one hour earlier starting June 1