Workers March To Miami Beach City Hall To Oppose 2 A.M. Referendum

With early voting underway ahead of Miami Beach’s Nov. 2 election, a group of hospitality workers marched to City Hall on Wednesday to oppose a referendum that proposes to stop alcohol sales at 2 a.m. citywide on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. PEDRO PORTAL

Bouncing to the rhythm of a musical troupe from Mango’s Tropical Cafe, an organized group of hospitality workers marched from Lincoln Road to Miami Beach City Hall on Wednesday to make yet another push to oppose a Nov. 2 voter referendum that proposes to limit early-morning alcohol sales. The demonstrators, who wore matching t-shirts from the political committee Citizens for a Safe Miami Beach, carried signs and banners and chanted slogans opposing a proposed citywide 2 a.m. the last call for drinking at late-night businesses. “Service is Our Industry. Save our Jobs,” the group chanted as a trumpeter, percussionists, and megaphone-wielding emcee led the demonstration.

The referendum is on the ballot Tuesday. Early voting began last week. The non-binding ballot question asks voters whether the City Commission should restrict the sales and consumption of alcohol citywide at 2 a.m., with still-undetermined exceptions commissioners can propose.

The gathered workers read a letter in front of TV cameras expressing their “serious concerns” with the 2 a.m. booze ban. Proponents of the referendum, like Mayor Dan Gelber, want to eliminate South Beach’s entertainment district, which Gelber says attracts crime and misbehavior. His critics argue that the 2 a.m. ban would not curb crime and put people out of work. “We all want a safer Miami Beach, but this attempt to take away our jobs, destroy our livelihoods, and threaten how we provide for our families is not the answer,” the letter reads.

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