Politics & Government

Should St. Pete Allow Open Containers Downtown?

The St. Petersburg Police Department said it has safety concerns with the idea.

In the midst of a discussion about sidewalk cafes and then the downtown bar scene, council member Jim Kennedy asked if it would be possible to allow open alcohol containers in parts of downtown St. Petersburg. 

"I would like to see some type of discussion, even on a regular night of some type, of open container areas," Kennedy said Thursday at a council committee meeting.  

Currently, the public cannot walk along the sidewalk or streets in St. Pete with open containers of alcohol, except for special permitted events. 

St. Pete city attorney Mark Winn said there are some major cities in the U.S., such as New Orleans and Las Vegas, that have areas where open containers are allowed in the public right-of-way.

An ordinance allowing such action, he said, could be relegated to specific days/hours. 

Kennedy's interest in having areas of open containers was not met with much support from his colleagues on city council. 

Find out what's happening in St. Petewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I’m not going to support something like that at this time," council member Karl Nurse said. 

Nurse said once the city gets control of current downtown problems and when police are no longer using PD to patrol the downtown bar scene, then he might have an interest in exploring an open container area. 

Find out what's happening in St. Petewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I don’t think we need to go down this path," said council member Jeff Danner. 

He said special permitted events, such as First Friday, already allow open containers in certain areas and that is how the city should continue its policy. 

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here