A proposed ordinance from The City of Jacksonville would have allowed certain exceptions to be made regarding statewide COVID-19 bar regulations on the First Coast, but only during the Republican National Convention.
Ordinance 2020-399 was scheduled to be presented during an RNC related City Council Workshop Friday but it was never heard due to an announcement from President Trump Thursday evening that he was canceling all convention events in Jacksonville.
However, if approved, the ordinance would have allowed the sale of alcohol for on-premises consumption, "by any Duval County establishment allowed to do so" from 6 a.m. until 4 a.m.
The ordinance would have been good for the duration of the "Convention Activity Period."
The state handed down an emergency order back in June from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) prohibiting the consumption of alcohol at bars statewide.
Bars, breweries and nightclubs across the First Coast have been pleading with local and state leaders to allow for on-premise consumption for weeks, with many being forced to close their doors.
Business owners cite both a lack in demand for off-premise business and a small window of time to try and make up for lost profits during the Phase 1 closures as reasons for their continued revenue loss.
So far, the City of Jacksonville has largely stayed out of the debate playing out between frustrated bar owners and the DBPR. The state's only recommendation? Serve food and become 'a restaurant' or serve nothing.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry was expected to hold a press briefing regarding the cancellation of the RNC on Friday but in an update from the Jacksonville Daily Record, a city spokesperson said he will be interviewed by CNN and Fox News instead.
Curry is expected to speak with local reporters sometime next week.