Bar Owners Annoyed by DUI Checkpoints in Florida
When it comes to DUI, police are concerned primarily with the safety of drivers. However, when that goal starts to impinge upon the interests of local bars and restaurants that depend upon a steady flow of happy customers, a compromise might be in order.
Just such a situation has arisen in the city of Cape Coral, Fla., where a group of downtown bar and restaurant owners were concerned that the frequency of local police’s DUI checkpoints was hurting their businesses, according to a report from ABC 7.
Along the Cape Coral Parkway, an area filled with numerous bars and restaurants, DUI checkpoints were becoming a more and more frequent sight.
While the flagging economy may certainly have contributed to slow business at some of these restaurants, local business owners have recently voiced the suspicion that the DUI checkpoints may also be hurting their bottom line.
Leapin’ Lizards is a bar in the area that has experienced just such a lag in business. Bar owner May Ann Evans told ABC 7 that, rather than the economic conditions, customers are deterred by the police presence on the roads: “They’re just not going through the aggravation. They will avoid going to an area that’s just plagued with constant checkpoints.”
Evans and other business owners in the area have asked police to help find an alternative to the checkpoints that will maintain safety on the roads without compromising businesses in the area.
Recently, according to the report, local police have stated a willingness to massage their strategy by way of compromise.
Cape Coral Police Chief, Rob Petrovich, recently told the media that he is open-minded about compromise, and that he is considering saturation and foot patrols, which help deter drunk driving in a way that bar and restaurant owners consider to be more amendable to business.
“My dream,” Petrovich told ABC 7, “is for their parking lots to be full, for them to be fruitful and at the same time – everybody be safe.”
One local owner welcomes the new strategy. “Hopefully they’ll cut back a little on that and there will be a more personal relationship with the officers rather than a show of force kind of deal,” said Ed Sheridan, the co-owner of Eddie Fishbowls.
The bars and restaurants in the area have agreed, in turn, to explore creative ways to help prevent drunk driving, like taxi shares.
3 Responses so far
Donald Drerwy
November 20th, 2009
9:49 am
Check Points are a joke on the public safety. The real reason we have check points is to arrest and raise money for the Government. A DUI or DWI arrest generates thousands of dollars for the State and Local Government. Tow fees come back to the local government, DUI Schools pay the State for the right to have the school, and most are a joke, they really don’t help anyone. Then there are the Court imposed fines, MONEY for the government. If you wanted to save lives by stopping drunk drivers, 80% could and would stop, with proper legislation, but that would take away the MONEY, so we just complain about how bad it is and fine more. No everyone is a drunk driver who has been drinking and drives and those who are, should have a major punishment. But, if that were to really happen, the MONEY POOL would dry up, so it won’t happen.
Ohio Mind
December 1st, 2009
4:12 am
Checkpoints are not only to catch drunks for money, they are also to keep other people safe. Sometimes drunk drivers put other people in “wrong place, wrong time” situations. Then they are sorry for the consequences. Why not just nip it in the bud before it gets to that point? Makes sense to me. I think it is selfish and immature to be annoyed by the cops trying to protect the public.
Cape Coral Barometer
December 15th, 2009
12:28 pm
I bet the drunk drivers are annoyed by the DUI checkpoints, as well. You can’t keep everyone happy. I am a Cape Coral resident and I appreciate the DUI Checkpoints…there is way too much drinking and driving going on in SWFL!
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