A swath of downtown Jacksonville has become the only place in Northeast Florida where restaurants, bars and clubs can serve alcohol until 3 a.m.

Mayor Donna Deegan signed legislation (2026-0063) that City Council member Raul Arias championed that extends the cut-off to 3 a.m. from 2 a.m. for dozens of establishments.

The decision on whether to take advantage of the extended hours will be up to the business owners themselves. It will give them a way to stand out compared to establishments from St. Augustine to the Beaches to Fernandina Beach that cut off the sale of alcoholic beverages at 2 a.m.

Keane's Tavern on East Bay Street in downtown Jacksonville will have its grand opening on Oct.31, 2025. The opening will give downtown an Irish pub for the first time since 2019 and add to The Elbow entertainment district in the blocks near the Florida Theatre.

Keane’s Tavern on East Bay Street in downtown Jacksonville will have its grand opening on Oct.31, 2025. The opening will give downtown an Irish pub for the first time since 2019 and add to The Elbow entertainment district in the blocks near the Florida Theatre.

Deegan said this week at a March 3 town hall meeting that as downtown attracts more people for nighttime entertainment, it makes sense to allow longer hours for alcohol sales.

“No, it’s not Vegas and it’s not going to be Vegas,” she said when a resident drew that comparison in an unfavorable way. “I’m not saying there will never be a problem in the world, but I do think it’s reasonable in the area that will continue to have more of the city’s nightlife to have an extended period of time when they can stay open.”

City Council voted 17-1 for the change with council member Mike Gay casting the only vote in opposition.

Arias said the zone allowing extended hours until 3 a.m. is a way to increase activity in downtown without using taxpayer incentives for development.

The city of Jacksonville will allow establishments to sell alcoholic beverages until 3 a.m. in the shaded areas of this map for Brooklyn, the central core, the north core and the sports and entertainment district. The sports and entertainment district contains The Elbow, a cluster of nightlife establishments near the Florida Theatre.

The city of Jacksonville will allow establishments to sell alcoholic beverages until 3 a.m. in the shaded areas of this map for Brooklyn, the central core, the north core and the sports and entertainment district. The sports and entertainment district contains The Elbow, a cluster of nightlife establishments near the Florida Theatre.

“Essentially, what I want to do is be able to create an environment where restaurants and bars and clubs could say you know what, I want to move my location from the suburbs to downtown because I have an extra hour of sales, which means more revenue at the end of the day for the bottom line,” Arias said at a meeting of the Downtown Investment Authority.

The Downtown Investment Authority board, JAX Chamber and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association supported the change. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office took a neutral position on the legislation.

The extended hours are for four parts of downtown on the north side of the St. Johns River — Brooklyn, the central core, the north core and the sports and entertainment district. The sports and entertainment district contains The Elbow near the Florida Theatre that has blocks of nightlife spots.

Outside those four areas of downtown, the cutoff for the serving alcoholic drinks remains 2 a.m.

That also is the end time for Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach. Jacksonville Beach allows establishments that get permits to serve until 2 a.m.

Fernandina Beach, St. Augustine and Orange Park all have 2 a.m. cut-offs.

Chairman Raul Arias talks about an issue during the Finance Committee’s August budget hearings Thursday August 14, 2025 at Jacksonville City Hall. After the Finance Committee completes its version of the 2025-26 budget, the full council will vote on it in September. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

Chairman Raul Arias talks about an issue during the Finance Committee’s August budget hearings Thursday August 14, 2025 at Jacksonville City Hall. After the Finance Committee completes its version of the 2025-26 budget, the full council will vote on it in September. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

Arias said that about 60 downtown Jacksonville establishments could go as late as 3 a.m. under the revised law, but he said many of those close before 2 a.m. and are unlikely to use the new 3 a.m. limit.

“It’s going to be probably 10 or 12 different businesses out of the sixty-something businesses,” he said.

Waterfront steakhouse: St. Augustine restaurant joining Four Seasons at Jacksonville Shipyards project

Irish pub: Keane’s Tavern adds another new downtown spot in The Elbow entertainment district

He said he expects establishments along Bay Street in the sports and entertainment district will likely move most quickly to use the extra hour.

He said he will personally visit establishments in the downtown zone to talk to them about the change and his plan to work with the Sheriff’s Office to track what impacts they see for calls between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. related to the longer serving hours.

Arias said he will do a report after six months and then a second report at the one-year mark.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville extends to 3 a.m. for alcohol sales in downtown