JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Downtown restaurants, bars, and cafes will soon have the ability to expand sidewalk seating and serving options thanks to a bill that cleared the Jacksonville City Council on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Councilman Raul Arias (R-District 11) carried the bill, which not only expands areas where the patios can be built to include all of downtown, but also tears down the invisible barrier that prohibited businesses from serving alcohol on the sidewalk patios that already exist.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have Brooklyn in there. We have San Marco as well. So, it\u2019s downtown and the perimeter of downtown,\u201d said Arias.<\/p>\n Allan DeVault with the Downtown Investment Authority had been pushing for the change for years.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, even the cafes or coffee shops. You know, these days, there\u2019s beer and wine at half the coffee shops you go to. So, yeah, it affects a lot of businesses,\u201d said DeVault.<\/p>\n He argued the benefits go beyond serving convenience.<\/p>\n \u201cA safer downtown, cause as we talked about before, it\u2019s really more eyes on the sidewalk and the streets. You know, we think it\u2019ll be very good,\u201d said DeVault.<\/p>\n And by expanding outdoor seating options, he said he hopes it will enhance the visibility of downtown bars, restaurants, and cafes as well.<\/p>\n \u201cThere would be more places that kind of stick out and say, hey, there\u2019s a restaurant here,\u201d said DeVault.<\/p>\n Councilmember Arias said he hopes to see the change put Jacksonville on par with many of its peer cities.<\/p>\n \u201cWe visit Orlando, Tampa, Miami, we see all these restaurants, the synergy in the streets, and we wonder why Jacksonville doesn\u2019t have this? Well, this legislation does just that. It enables the restaurants to match the energy that other cities, other larger cities have,\u201d said Arias.<\/p>\n As soon as the mayor puts pen to paper, the invisible \u201cno-alcohol wall\u201d will come down. <\/p>\n Businesses will need to apply for permits to build new sidewalk patio areas going forward.<\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: <\/b>Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/b><\/a>]<\/b><\/p>\n