Downtown businesses push back on more after-hour fees

Some downtown Orlando businesses are paying thousands of dollars a month just to stay open past midnight. Now they're pushing back against the city's after midnight alcohol permits, but the city says those fees help keep downtown safe. Alexis Clevenger is joining us live now in downtown. So Alexis, what do these business owners want to see changed? Yes. Well, Lou and Jack, they're pushing for those fees to be suspended. While they acknowledge that safety downtown is important, they argue that the cost should not fall on just a handful of them. We're quickly approaching the half-million-dollar range in terms of AMS fees. Currently, they're paying... Almost $30,000 a month, so about $350,000 a year. For some downtown Orlando businesses, it's a pretty big expense to keep the doors open late. In May 2023, the city established the After Midnight Alcohol Sales Permit Program. Now, that program requires businesses serving alcohol between midnight and 2 a.m. in the downtown entertainment district to obtain a permit. But now the National Independent Venue Association, which represents venues nationwide, including the Beecham and Saline, is asking the city to rethink that agreement in a letter to city leaders. They say thirty nine downtown businesses were billed more than four point three million dollars for off duty police officers over just two years. Our biggest frustration is the fact that. It's a handful of businesses paying a fee that benefits all of the downtown area, and we think that's really unfair. When this started, they had about 300 employees. Now they have about 200. They have to lay off a bunch. We have not been able to do any of the capital improvements to the building we wanted to do. But the city says the AMS permit helps offset a portion of the cost of downtown public safety services, noting that the city also covers the cost of law enforcement downtown. A spokesperson says because of those efforts, there's been a 20% drop in overall crime downtown. The National Independent Venue Association is asking for city council to put together a working group within 30 days so they can come up with a new plan for funding. Live in downtown Orlando, Alexis Clevenger, Fox 35 News.