ORLANDO, Fla. — A state of emergency, curfew and ban on alcohol sales after midnight in Orlando’s downtown entertainment district that was put in place after a shooting Nov. 1 expired at 5 p.m. Thursday.

What You Need To Know

  • Downtown's state of emergency, including a curfew and a ban on after-midnight alcohol sales, has ended

  • The measures were put into place after a shooting in downtown that killed two people and injured nine others Nov. 1

  • The city also will begin the gradual process of keeping Orange Avenue fully open on weekend nights on Nov. 16

  • In a statement, the city said it seeks to end a street-party atmosphere and encourage visitors to patronize downtown businesses

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer issued a one-week state of emergency after the shooting and put in place a ban on alcohol sales after midnight in that area, as well as a curfew from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. daily. 

The expiration comes ahead of the start of the Electric Daisy Carnival’s weekend stop at Tinker Field in Orlando starting Friday night, which will bring thousands of visitors into downtown. The EDC, an annual music festival, will feature a variety of DJs and musical artists such as Diplo, Steve Aoki and Alesso.  

As of Nov. 16, the city also will start to gradually open up all of Orange Avenue and its side streets to drivers on weekends during late-night hours. Currently, part of the road is shut down to vehicles on weekend nights, when a lot of people walk around downtown.

"In early phases, the city will use barricades to keep pedestrians closer to the sidewalks, eventually opening the thoroughfare to one lane of traffic, until ultimately, all three lanes of traffic are open," the city announced in a statement. 

The city indicated it is taking those steps "to end the street-party atmosphere, and encourage visitors to patronize downtown businesses."

The Orlando Police Department is still seeking information from anyone who has photos or videos from the Nov. 1 shooting. A 17-year-old has been charged in connection with that shooting.

The Nov. 1 shooting was the most recent in downtown but not the first. In July 2022, a gunman shot nine people in the Wall Street area of downtown, and he was never found. Since then, city leaders have been seeking a way to stop violent incidents downtown.

In its statement, the city pointed out that it has implemented a variety of tactics over several years to try to improve safety, including:

  • Adding more code enforcement officers and Orlando Police officers downtown
  • Improving lighting throughout the core of downtown
  • Requiring the securing of private parking lots and limiting garage access
  • Mandating a permit for selling alcohol from midnight to 2 a.m. in the downtown entertainment district
  • Changing the city's noise ordinance
  • Establishing collaborative programs like S.A,F,E. and Orlando Connect in conjunction with businesses and residents to help boost security, including adding cameras.