ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — Meetings slated to begin soon with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation are giving some bar owners hope that they will be able to stay in business, despite two shutdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic.

At Seaside Tavern, things are quiet for owner Patti Miracle, as they have been since the second state-mandated shutdown nearly five weeks ago. 

“I don’t think any of the bar owners can hang on much longer,” Miracle said. 

A tweet over the weekend from Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears left her with mixed feelings. Beshears said he would set up meetings across the state with breweries and bars to discuss ideas on how to reopen as soon as possible. 

“The first thing was ‘thank you,’ and the second thing, not to sound negative, was ‘it's about time’,” Miracle said. 

Miracle, one of many bar and brewery owners to have filed lawsuits over the closure, said she believes that is what is sparking this conversation. She said she hopes she has an opportunity to speak with Beshears herself in these meetings. 

“I would like to be a part of it. I think he needs to have a representative from all levels of the bar businesses," Miracle said.  "I mean, as it stands now, my little 50-occupancy bar is lumped in with the big clubs in these mecca areas.”

She said she hopes he asks about the safety procedures bar owners have already put into place.

“We want to reopen our businesses, and we are willing to do that under whatever guidelines they determine,” Miracle said. 

According to a Business and Professional Regulation spokesperson, the meetings are still being organized. 

“Secretary Beshears is listening to the ideas and concerns of licensed business owners who are among the many important community partners in our statewide efforts to respond to the challenges of this pandemic," Patrick R. Fargason, deputy communications director, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation said.

"Expanding opportunities for breweries, bars, and related establishments to reopen safely relies on a cooperative approach to shaping and sustaining a responsible path forward.  Secretary Beshears is committed to having a constructive conversation in multiple communities throughout the state to welcome the perspective of these business owners in forming a reliable plan. The arrangements for these meetings are currently in coordination.”

Miracle hopes that path is determined soon. 

“We have no end in sight," she said. "There is no resolution on the table at all for us to reopen so at least it is progress.”

If a reopening plan is not determined soon, Miracle and other bar owners that have filed lawsuits plan to protest at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee on August 7.