ORLANDO, Fla — On Monday, the Orlando City council will vote on a new Downtown Safety measure aimed to curb violence.

​It will require bars and restaurants to obtain a permit to be able to sell alcohol after midnight, with several safety requirements attached.

Monica McCown has worked in some of Downtown Orlando’s most popular bars and restaurants for the last 10 years.

“I just love bartending because it is fast-paced. You are making concoctions,” said McCown. 

But as Vice President of the Orlando Hospitality Alliance, she’s concerned about a new After Midnight alcohol sales permit which will be voted on by the city council on Monday. If passed, businesses will have to get permits and follow safety regulations to be able to sell alcohol from midnight to 2 a.m.

“Midnight to 2 a.m. is our busiest time. That is where the most of our sales are, so really closing at midnight is not an option to keep your business profitable,” said McCown. 

As it stands, permitted bars would collectively have to pay $2.1 million dollars. In addition to the $3.2 million the city already pays to have extra officers in the area. This is all in response to a rash of violence seen in Downtown Orlando over the summer.

“Just the cost of us having to pay for us having to pay for all the extra officers at 90 dollars an hour to patrol the streets so we are basically having to pay for all the police or a good chunk of the police that are going on the streets late at night. So that is a big problem for business that is going to be really hard to make up that additional cost,” said McCown. 

She shared that it is a cost that will probably have to be passed on to the customers at many places. She claimed businesses are also concerned about keeping the permits once they have them.

“We are also really worried about the police department being able to revoke or suspend our new after midnight permit for things that our guests do in the building that we aren’t really in any control over,” said McCown. 

McCown said she thinks there are better options to fund increased safety measures downtown without hurting businesses and hopes it is something they can revisit in the future.

“I think that this will be damaging to the downtown entertainment area on an economic level, but safety is really important, so we’ll have to. We are going to have to make sacrifices to ensure safety right now,” said McCown. 

If passed, the permits will go into effect May 1. 

The city council will also be voting on a moratorium on new nightclubs downtown that would last for six months.