Last Call for South Beach Extended Drinking Hours

By Melissa Alonso, CNN

(CNN) – Travelers headed to South Beach for its ballyhooed, party-till-dawn bar and dance club scene will soon find their revelries shortened by hours.

A judge ruled on Tuesday that last call for alcohol in parts of South Beach can be shifted from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. following several attempts by Miami Beach officials to address complaints about nightclubs from city residents.

“Hopefully we can begin enforcement very soon,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber in a Facebook post after Tuesday’s decision. “This is a residential neighborhood that should not have to endure 24-hour nightclubs.”

According to the ordinance, “private clubs located in” Miami Beach’s mixed-use entertainment district south of 16th Street, known as MXE, “may only offer alcoholic beverages for sale or on-premises consumption between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m.”

In years past, Miami Beach officials have voted to roll back alcohol sales in the MXE to 2 a.m. temporarily for spring break season.

Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Judge Reemberto Diaz on Tuesday denied a motion for temporary injunction filed by attorneys for Amnesia International.

The ruling allows the city to make the earlier cut-off time permanent.

Amnesia International owns Story, a 27,000-square-foot nightclub in the MXE which operates four days a week from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. and has been strongly against the measure taking effect.

CNN has reached out to attorneys for Amnesia International for comment.

According to the new ordinance, “restaurants not operating as dance halls or entertainment establishments” can still serve alcohol until 5 a.m.

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