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Celine Credit: Courtesy<\/p>\nCeline Credit: Courtesy<\/p>\n
A significant administrative change quietly took effect Feb. 1 for downtown Orlando\u2019s nightlife. For the first time, venues holding After Midnight Alcohol Sales<\/a> permits were required to pay their policing fees in a lump sum, in advance, for the month ahead.<\/p>\n The city previously operated on a weekly billing cycle that included a grace period allowing downtown businesses 30 days to pay and up to 60 days before facing a code violation. Orlando\u2019s program mandating AMS permits and associated fees for some venues in a zone called the Downtown Entertainment Area<\/a>, or DEA, was approved by the Orlando City Council March 20, 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n With this year\u2019s program updates, invoices are due strictly on the first of the month, in advance of services being rendered. The city offered a \u201cfee-free holiday\u201d in January to ease the transition, and the arrival of the February invoices marked the start of a stricter financial reality for operators.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are doing anything and everything they can to squeeze people out. If this was rooted in common sense, every bar or establishment would be paying into this, not just some. But even that is illegal. We already have a mechanism for this. It\u2019s called taxes,\u201d says Eric Fuller, owner of the nightclub Celine on Magnolia Avenue. \u201cIt\u2019s not legal what they\u2019re doing, in our opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n Defining the \u2018Downtown Density Zone\u2019<\/p>\n The fees are no longer applied broadly to the Downtown Entertainment Area. Instead, the city has targeted what it calls the \u201cDowntown Density Zone,\u201d or DDZ.<\/p>\n City officials define this zone within the larger DEA as the area containing the \u201chighest density of violent crimes which occur after midnight\u201d based on fiscal year data, according to Andrea Otero, a City of Orlando public information officer. The boundaries are defined as<\/a> Jefferson Street to the north, Rosalind Avenue to the east, South Street to the south, and Garland Avenue to the west.<\/p>\n In correspondence sent to permit holders on Dec. 22, 2025, the Downtown Development Board outlined a tiered cost structure for the new zone, touting it as a cost reduction:<\/p>\n \u2022 Level 1: Approximately $2,894 monthly (previously $3,960).<\/p>\n \u2022 Level 2: Approximately $5,788 monthly (previously $7,920).<\/p>\n \u2022 Level 3: Approximately $8,681 monthly (previously $11,880).<\/p>\n However, downtown venue owners argue these base numbers don\u2019t tell the whole story. George Maltezos, managing partner of The Block \u2014 a cluster of venues at North Orange Avenue and East Washington Street that includes The Corner, The Patio, Aero, 64 North, The Social and The Beacham \u2014 notes that a 10% administrative fee is added on top of the base rates, bringing the actual cost to approximately $99 per officer hour.<\/p>\n \u201cWe pay about $28,000 per month for The Block\u2019s venues under this structure,\u201d Maltezos tells Orlando Weekly.<\/p>\n New compliance standards<\/p>\n A big source of anxiety for business owners is the discrepancy between city ordinances and these new \u201cstandard operating procedures.\u201d While the relevant ordinance historically allowed for a 30-day grace period, the city\u2019s amended SOP now explicitly requires payment \u201con or before the first day of each month.\u201d<\/p>\n In a Feb. 12 email to Orlando Weekly, City of Orlando public information officer Ashley Papagni confirmed, \u201cWhile the ordinance itself remains unchanged, the guiding document referencing the Standard Operating Procedures has been amended.\u201d<\/p>\n On Feb. 4, the Downtown Development Board sent a reminder email to permit holders stating that \u201coperating an establishment after midnight when payment is past due is a violation of the conditions of the permit,\u201d warning that multiple violations could result in an immediate notice of suspension hearing.<\/p>\n In a Feb. 17 email, City of Orlando public information officer Andrea Otero stated, \u201cA number of establishments missed the February 1 due date. Each of these establishments is being reviewed for compliance with the AMS SOP.\u201d<\/p>\n Her email did not name the businesses that missed the payment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fuller questions the equity of the new zone, asking why other high-traffic locations that generate police calls are exempt. \u201cLook at all the calls that go to that gas station on Colonial \u2026 It\u2019s insane,\u201d Fuller says. \u201cIs the gas station paying for cops?\u201d<\/p>\n The city\u2019s action plan<\/p>\n While nightlife operators grapple with the changes, local leaders are aggressively pursuing \u201cProject DTO,\u201d a vision for a transformed downtown Orlando focused on a daytime economy, high-wage jobs and family-friendly spaces.<\/p>\n On Feb. 9, DDB\/CRA executive director David Barilla presented an update on the DTO action plan during a city workshop<\/a>, highlighting a $160 million bond to fund capital projects that signal a move away from a nightlife-centric downtown. Key among these is the transformation of the area under I-4 \u2014 formerly a parking hub for nightlife patrons \u2014 into \u201cThe Canopy,\u201d a 10-acre urban gathering space and park slated for completion in 2027.<\/p>\n Additionally, the city broke ground on Feb. 10 on the Magnolia Avenue project. This renovation will remove the dedicated Lymmo bus lanes to create a two-way, mixed-traffic street with wider sidewalks that is designed to be much more pedestrian-friendly. <\/p>\n \u201cThe way I like to say it is we are setting the table so businesses have the opportunity to thrive,\u201d Barilla said regarding the infrastructure upgrades.<\/p>\n The Church Street debate<\/p>\n Included in the bond funding is the renovation of Church Street into a \u201cfestival street,\u201d<\/a> featuring curbless designs, larger sidewalks for cafes and upgraded lighting and landscaping. The city plans to begin work on the first segment, from Garland Avenue to the railroad tracks, in April or May.<\/p>\n However, the terminology has triggered some questions regarding the area\u2019s future atmosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the Feb. 9 workshop, Commissioner Bakari Burns asked, \u201cIt seems like we were working to get rid of the festival feel on Orange Avenue. Now, we\u2019re creating through this design a festival field on Church Street. \u2026 Will there be a consideration for changing some of the noise ordinances?\u201d<\/p>\n Barilla clarified that the descriptor of \u201cfestival street\u201d is strictly a design concept intended to blur the lines between pedestrian and vehicular space, rather than a concrete plan for constant events and programming. \u201cI don\u2019t want to give the incorrect impression that it means that there\u2019s festivals happening in the \u2026 street every day,\u201d Barilla said. Regarding noise, he noted that \u201cwe don\u2019t anticipate at this time any changes to the noise ordinance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n For veteran nightlife operators, the distinction is frustrating.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is the point of a festival street without festivals? It makes no sense,\u201d says Victoria Nelli, owner of Arena Art Bar, which closed in November 2024 in part due to issues with the AMS permit, she says. \u201cThe party atmosphere defined nightlife in downtown Orlando for decades, and with that comes the noise you would expect from people celebrating life,\u201d she adds. \u201cWho wants to muffle a party down to a whisper?\u201d<\/p>\n Two downtowns<\/p>\n The implementation of the DDZ and the February 1 billing change is described by venue owners as a squeeze play. \u201cI think paying at the first of the month is more of a hardship. It\u2019s one big fat bill to be paid all at once on the front end instead of spread out weekly through the month,\u201d said Maltezos. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be harder for some businesses to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, since early 2023, these bars and more have closed, with some of the owners pointing the finger at the city\u2019s program: Arena Art Bar, Shots, Dapper Duck, 1-Up, HighT, Ember, Chillers, Irish Shannon\u2019s, Cahoots, High Tide and Tanqueray\u2019s.<\/p>\n Orlando\u2019s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.<\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tMushroom-based wings are \u2018as finger-licking good as they are kind to chickens.\u2019\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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