You Can Still Drink On Miami Beach This Weekend

Miami Beach hotels will be able to serve alcoholic drinks to beachgoers this Memorial Day weekend. The city is not cracking down on hoteliers who serve alcohol on the shores of the Atlantic this weekend, City Manager Jorge Gonzalez said Thursday. Earlier in the week, City Attorney Jose Smith told The Miami Herald that hotels cannot serve or sell alcohol on the public beach, based on a review of hotel concession agreements and the city's laws. Smith's review was prompted by complaints about public drinking and littering during spring break. In response, Beach commissioners told police they wanted a strict enforcement of the city's drinking laws, which ban alcohol consumption and sales in public places. Gonzalez said he is awaiting a formal legal opinion from Smith on the issue before tackling the question of beachside booze sold by hotels.