Sarasota commissioners discuss ordinances to define future of restaurants, bars, nightclubs in downtown

SARASOTA, Fla. - For several hours Tuesday night, Sarasota city commissioners discussed two ordinances to define the future of restaurants, bars and nightclubs in the downtown area. 

The commissioners talked about more rules for businesses in the city. They said many places are zoned as restaurants, but they act more like bars once the sun goes down. 

As the downtown area in Sarasota booms in growth with more businesses opening their doors, the first ordinance discussed aimed to clarify the distinction between indoor bars, outdoor bars, nightclubs and restaurants. 

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In a 4-1 vote, commissioners voted to define nightclubs as businesses that do not serve food and exceed specific decibel levels after 11 p.m.

This means nightclubs would be considered Major Conditional Use, which would require the most red tape required to open. Restaurants, even with outdoor seating, are considered By-Right Use, which do not require conditional approval by the board. Meanwhile, indoor bars are Minor Conditional Use and outdoor bars are also Major Conditional Use.

A topic of concern was whether bars with garage doors would be considered outdoor or indoor. Commissioners decided to deem them outdoor bars.

The second ordinance discussed related to where these businesses could be located. Commissioners approved this ordinance.

Both ordinances that were on the table did not apply to existing businesses that are considered "grandfathered in."

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