Alcohol ban lifted for High Springs restaurants

After a lengthy debate, an ordinance which effectively opens the doors for alcohol sales at restaurants anywhere in the city of High Springs, the commission narrowly passed the measure Thursday night.

In a 3-2 vote, commissioners gave the okay for a controversial new ordinance removing the distance requirements that a restaurant serving alcohol must be from a church or a school.  The new law becomes effective Sunday, July 7.  Under High Springs’ current regulations, alcoholic beverages may not be served within 500 feet of a church or 600 feet of a public or private school.

To be exempt from the 500 and 600 feet distance requirements, establishments serving alcoholic beverages must meet a total of nine specific criteria.  The language aims to eliminate the possibility of a bar serving within the minimum distances by requiring that the alcohol being served is by a restaurant that derives at least 51 percent of its gross revenue from the sale of food and nonalcoholic beverages.

Other criteria include having sufficient metal cutlery, china dishes, seating and cooking equipment on hand to serve at least 60 customers.  It also may not serve alcoholic beverages at any time that it is not prepared to also serve “full-course meals with a substantial variety of culinary choices,” the ordnance reads.

In recent years, the City’s alcohol restrictions have come under harsh criticism from some, while others say it’s necessary for safety and to keep order in High Springs.  As in the past, the public hearing Thursday also drew droves of residents and business owners who voiced their opinion on the matter.

Resident Sylvia Newcomb opposed the changes saying, “I think if you ask the majority of the citizens of High Springs, they will tell you they don’t want a decrease in distance from schools.”

Suggesting that approving the ordinance would turn voters against sitting commissioners seeking re-election, she said, “A more equitable way of solving this issue… is put it on the ballot and let the citizens speak.”

Susan Flemming, a downtown commercial property owner, disagreed and suggested relaxing the rules would serve to increase economic development.  “I have lost two tenants in the last two years because of the economy and because of not being able to serve alcohol.”

“People want to come in and have a nice meal, a glass of wine, a beer maybe, not to sit around and get hammered,” Flemming said.  “I am a Christian woman. I do believe in God, and I also believe in moderation.”

One of Flemming’s tenants, Los Avina Mexican Restaurant owner Jorge Avina, recently announced he would be moving his business to Alachua’s Main Street.  Chief among the reasons Avina cited for the move was the ability to sell and serve alcoholic beverages with meals.

“When people eat Mexican food, they want the option of having a beer or a glass of wine,” Avina said in a mid-July interview.  “My business in High Springs has been stable, but it’s not growing.”

Commissioner Dean Davis, however, said Los Avina is an exception.  “We’ve lost six businesses this month, and none of them have anything to do with alcohol, except for [Los Avina],” Davis said.  “The only way a little business is going to survive in High Springs is if the local people support it.”

Commissioner Eric May supports removing the distance minimums for restaurants, which he believes shouldn’t be grouped with bars.  “Why would a businessman, who is looking to invest his dollars…put them in a community that unfairly groups these two businesses together,” he said.  “I believe in the free market, and I believe in enterprise, and in High Springs and what it could be.”

Mayor Larry Travis was also in favor of allowing restaurants to serve alcohol regardless of distances from schools and churches. “We have to think outside the box to make ourselves competitive,” Travis said.  “This is just one small spoke in the wheel, but I think it’s a big one.”

Vice-Mayor Byran Williams, who is also a pastor, said his opposition to lifting the distance minimums didn’t come from his religious beliefs.  “My biggest issue is safety,” he said.  “If someone wants to drink, that’s their prerogative, but I think there’s a place and a time for everything,” he added, alluding to the potential of impaired drivers being in the vicinity of a school.

After the nearly two hours of discussion and debate, the commission passed the measure in a 3-2 vote with Williams and Davis opposing the measure.