Largo to extend bar hours till 3AM

Commissioner Gigi Arntzen had this to say.

“We tell people we don’t want you drinking and driving and now we’re giving you an extra hour to drink and drive,” she said.
She's an idiot. There are so many factors here, but I'll start with her statement.

Yikes! How exactly are we giving them an extra hour to drink and drive? I thought we were giving them an extra hour to buy drinks. I don't want to live in any city that gives you any time to drive drunk, let alone an extra hour.

I think that people who drink and drive do it habitually. Adding or removing hours from the time they are legal to buy drinks in a bar is going to have a pretty small effect on a habitual drunk driver. Think about what happens at 2AM when a whole hour of drinking remains just down the street. People will then leave Largo to go to St. Petersburg.

At least two things happen then. A drunk driver is on the road, and they are taking their business to another city. Generating revenue for St. Petersburg or Tampa.

Say you are having some drinks, 1AM rolls around and everybody is ready to party some more. It's easy, pop in your ride, drive straight through Largo and into St. Petersburg. Hit your favorite St Pete based bar, party till 3AM, then drive through Largo again. Twice as drunk as you were when you left. Which you never would have had to do in the first place if the blue law let us drink until 3AM.

As a former business owner I would think that we would want to keep our business here in our city. As someone who works in bars and restaurants, as well as many facets of the hospitality industry, I know I want more people spending money here.

Does this change the amount of people driving drunk? I don't think it will.
Does this change how drunk a person is? I don't think it will, but we will find out. I think that it may have an opposite effect. I think it will give time for bartenders to "cut off" (no longer serve) someone excess alcohol, and it might even allow some people time to "sober up". It might not have either of those effects, but we can hope for them.

The bottom line is this. Small business owners need to protect there profit margin now more than ever. They need everything going for them in order to succeed. Not giving it to them is wrong, especially when other municipalities are. Mathematically, it shouldn't put more drunk drivers on the road. Those people would be driving drunk at 2AM, 1AM, or 4AM. It depends on when the bar closes.

Another huge thing with the city of Largo is that the laws have changed in St. Pete already. The county is getting ready to pass the OK for 3AM as well. Countywide policy should really be the name of the game here...

Countywide policy is easiest to enforce because it does not confuse the public, the business owners and police officers.

Make it easy, make it desirable, and make it profitable. These things should be the focus point for Largo's commission.

I would like to see statistics on alcohol related DWI's and DUI's in St. Petersburg since the 3AM law has been in effect. Anyone have that info?