Jacksonville City Council Member Glorious Johnson (At-Large, Seat 5) praised her Council colleagues today for their unanimous passage of the ordinance she sponsored (Ordinance 2005-783) revising the City's regulation of consumption of alcoholic beverages on public property at the City Council meeting of August 9, 2005. The new ordinance revises the City's former ordinance that was found to be unconstitutional by a county court judge last year because he ruled that it was unclear, selectively enforced, and insufficiently regulated the granting of exceptions to the ordinance.

Council Member Johnson introduced the legislation after hearing about and witnessing incidents of drinking in inappropriate public locations, including the Kids Kampus park downtown. The new ordinance generally prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages on any public property, including streets, sidewalks, parks, public buildings, and parking lots, but provides some very specific and limited exceptions to the general rule for special events, including a provision to allow traditional 'tailgating parties' in the parking lots around the Sports Complex during Jacksonville Jaguar, Florida/Georgia, and Gator Bowl football games and in conjunction with the Jacksonville Jazz Festival and Jacksonville Suns games.

The Council Member Johnson stressed the need to re-enact an ordinance that reined in uncontrolled drinking in public places after the former ordinance was invalidated, and stated that 'Drinking is not a right on city property, it is a privilege.' She hopes the new ordinance will clarify when and where drinking on public property is and is not allowed, and that it will provide the Sheriff's Office with the needed grounds to fairly and impartially enforce the law for the public's general health and safety.