Miami Beach approves alcohol sales on public beaches under pilot program
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A waiter carries cocktails from a hotel beach bar in Miami Beach. Photo: Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images
Miami Beach commissioners voted Wednesday to approve a pilot program to sell alcohol on some public beaches in South Beach.
Why it matters: The city famous for cracking down on spring breakers and rolling back liquor sales is now looking to cash in on beachfront booze consumption.
Driving the news: The City Commission approved a one-year pilot program allowing beach concessionaire Boucher Brothers to sell alcohol at the beaches in front of Lummus Park and on 21st Street.
- The city will receive 18% of alcohol sales revenue up to $5 million and 20% of revenues beyond that, with a minimum guarantee of $250,000 and potential monetary contributions to the Miami Beach Bandshell, according to a city memo.
What they're saying: Commissioners in favor of the pilot program say they hope it will deter unauthorized alcohol vendors from hawking booze at the beach.
- "I'd rather have something that's regulated than having margaritas sold out of people's backpacks," Commissioner Joe Magazine said at a June meeting of the city's finance committee, which approved the resolution.
Context: It's illegal to drink alcohol at the beach, but there are exceptions at certain hotels and during authorized events — and many beachgoers bring their own booze due to lax enforcement.
Zoom in: In a letter to the city, Boucher Brothers proposed to sell cocktails, wine and beer at kiosks from Fifth to 14th Street and at 21st Street from 11am to 6pm Monday to Sunday.
- The company also said it would hire off-duty police officers, who would be "empowered to intervene and cite for unlawful alcohol possession or resale."
- There would also be crowd control measures and limits on how many drinks a customer can buy, according to the letter.
- The city would have the authority to terminate the program at its discretion.
The other side: Commissioner Tanya Katzoff Bhatt cautioned against undermining the city's goal to transform its "party till you drop" perception.
- "I would like to try this out in a section [of the beach] before we enter into a citywide agreement for multiple years because I think, in principle, this should be great, but I want to limit it so it doesn't undo all the work we're trying to do."