The Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce, which runs the monthly Third Friday Music Festival, has announced changes to the event's alcohol policy.
When the Chamber took the event over the event from the City of Safety Harbor two years ago, the City Commission approved a wet zone ordinance to allow for event patrons to have an open container within the event footprint as long as it was in a plastic cup, with the belief that bars and restaurants within the event footprint would be allowed to sell drinks for patrons to enjoy along Main Street.
However, Florida's Alcohol Beverage Tobacco agency, which regulates the sale of alcohol in the state, recently informed the city, the Chamber and businesses that while it has no issue with the wet zone allowing patrons to have open containers, the city can not allow alcohol licensees to sell alcohol in ways that state law forbids.
Going forward, most establishments along Main Street will be permitted to sell a factory sealed alcoholic drink, like a can of beer or a single-serving wine container and a plastic up, to patrons if the patron does not open the drink until they are off the establishment's footprint and on Main Street, at which point they'll need to pour the drink into the plastic cup. However, depending on the establishment's license, they may only be permitted to sell an alcoholic drink to go with the purchase of food.
Liquor drinks to-go, which not all establishments are permitted to sell, must be in a container sealed by the establishment's staff, and must accompany a food purchase with the entire order put in a bag with a receipt attached to it. Once the patron is on Main Street, they can open the drink and discard anything they do not want.
Patrons can continue to buy any kind of drink the establishment is permitted to sell and drink it at the establishment's premises, but must finish the drink or discard it before leaving.
The Chamber of Commerce plans to have plenty of signage along Main Street and at all participating businesses on Third Friday to help educate patrons on the changes.