LARGO, Fla. — Largo will soon implement an entertainment district in downtown which allows for open alcohol consumption after the city commission unanimously approved an ordinance creating a designated area earlier this month.
“We want to bring some energy into downtown,” said Chris Tillett, Assistant Community Development Director. “Hopefully that’s going to attract some new businesses, some restaurants and entertainment-like businesses as well.”
Tillet said the new $85 million Largo city hall, named Horizon West Bay, has plenty of space for those new businesses, along with a courtyard for live music and a place for people to gather. The boundaries for the open alcohol zone will be the few blocks surrounding city hall. Tillet expects the city will have the entertainment district open before the end of the summer.
“We’ve got a about a month or so of implementation,” he said. “We really want to finalize what our signage is going to look like. Sort of delineating the boundaries is going to be critical for us.”
It will be the first full time district in Pinellas County which allows patrons to carry open containers of alcohol 7 days a week in Pinellas County, according to City Manager John Curp. The hours will run from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 8 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday, including legal holidays.
“I think that’s a good idea,” said Abner Morales, owner of Wepaa Restaurant. “They want to maybe make more nightlife for the people to enjoy.”
Wepaa Restaurant is one-of-four businesses currently located in the entertainment district which offer alcohol and can register to participate in the program, according to Tillett. Morales already has special cups with the Wepaa logo which must be used by patrons for open alcohol consumption.
A beverage with the Wepaa logo sticker. (Spectrum News)
“The customer can walk on the street with a drink,” he said. “I hope it’s good for everybody. For (the) business and especially (the) customer.”
Morales said when he first opened his authentic Puerto Rican restaurant 8 years ago, downtown Largo was a ghost town. He has seen a lot more development since that time and hopes the new entertainment district will continue the growth.
“I hope people come to the restaurant, enjoy and feel good,” he said. “This is a restaurant for the family.”
Tillett said patrons will only be able to purchase two alcoholic drinks at a business during any one time.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source baynews9.com ’
