GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – The City of Gainesville is installing new signs to mark the boundaries of where people can legally drink alcohol on city streets.
The city has two Arts, Culture and Entertainment (ACE) Districts where open containers of alcohol are permitted between 8 a.m. and midnight daily.
These “sip and stroll areas” are located where there are high concentrations of bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.
- The Downtown ACE District encompasses a section roughly bordered by NE 2nd Avenue to the north, NE 3rd Street to the east, SW 6th Street to the west, and south to Depot Avenue that includes Bo Diddley Plaza and Depot Park.
- The Grove Street ACE District is an area between NW 2nd Street and NW 4th Street, bordered to the north by NW 12th Avenue and to the south by NW 8th Avenue. This district excludes a mostly residential area north of the 6th Street Rail Trail.
Earlier this year, the city reinstated open container restrictions which prohibit people from drinking or having open containers of alcohol on public property in most areas of the city.
Gainesville Police Department officers can issue either civil citations or criminal infractions to those found in violation of the ordinances. If there is drunken, unsafe or disorderly behavior, police may also ticket for those infractions as well.
Inside the ACE Districts, open containers are permitted on sidewalks, in public parks or other public rights-of-way. The city says open containers are not allowed in municipal parking lots and garages within district boundaries.
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