‘Overall economic driver’: Proposed ordinance could extend select Jacksonville bar hours to 3 a.m.

District 11 City Council Member Raul Arias says the proposed ordinance aims to provide bars in the city the chance to increase revenue during special events.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Some Downtown Jacksonville bars could soon have the option to serve alcohol later into the night.

District 11 City Council member Raul Arias introduced Ordinance 2026-0063 during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

If approved, the ordinance would allow bars in the North Core, City Center and Sports and Entertainment Districts to serve alcohol until 3 a.m. Currently, bars citywide must stop serving at 2 a.m.

Bars outside of those designated downtown districts would still be required to follow the 2 a.m. cutoff.

Arias said the proposal is aimed at supporting downtown businesses, especially during large events, while still giving owners the choice of whether staying open later makes financial sense.

“Let’s say we get a Super Bowl in Jacksonville one day, we can stay open until 3 in the morning,” Arias said. “Let’s say we have a concert or other big events. It gives the businesses the option to say, you know what, I wanna stay open an extra hour or two.”

“That way, it could generate more revenues and sales, which also leads to higher payrolls, more wage increases for employees, so it’s an overall economic driver, just not just for the business but also the employees as well too,” he added.

Some downtown business owners say the extra hour could make a difference during busy weekends and major events.

Tony Draper, the owner of Pour Taproom in downtown Jacksonville, said anything that helps keep customers downtown longer is a positive.

“Anything you do to help businesses down here to stay open is great,” Draper said.

Draper said his business has seen more weekend traffic than he initially expected after opening downtown.

“We’re definitely weekend heavy, which surprised me opening in downtown,” he said.

Like Councilman Arias, Draper says staying open later during major sporting events could be beneficial.

“When there are special events like nighttime Jaguars games, like that Monday night Chiefs game,” Draper said. “It made a lot of sense to stay open till 3 a.m. because people are out celebrating.”

However, Draper said extended hours also come with added costs.

“It’s expensive to stay open,” he said. “So you have, as a business owner, you have to have the volume to justify, you know, being open that way.”

Arias said he intentionally drew the boundaries of the ordinance to exclude residential neighborhoods, including areas like the Cathedral District, to limit concerns about increased foot traffic late at night.

The ordinance must still go before the committee before any final decision is made. Arias said he may hold public notice meetings if concerns from the community arise.