Orlando leaders weigh policing costs, security rules and midnight alcohol limits after downtown shootings

ORLANDO — Orlando city leaders and police on May 19 reviewed years of investments and recent violence in Downtown Orlando as they debated whether to change rules that allow alcohol sales past midnight and how to pay for extra policing.

The morning workshop featured a presentation by David Barilla of the Downtown Development Board/CRA, a public-safety overview from Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith and a fiscal briefing by Chief Administrative Officer FJ Flynn. Speakers described a nightlife economy concentrated along Orange Avenue and adjoining blocks, police figures showing a rise in arrests and firearms encounters, and city costs to staff the downtown detail.

Barilla said the downtown recovery strategy has emphasized retail, restaurants and events — including incentive grants and facade funding for new and existing businesses — while noting the special challenges posed by a dense concentration of bars in the Central Business District. He described the city’s After Midnight Sales permit, approved in 2023, which requires an application and, depending on occupancy, contributions to pay for extra-duty police, weapons-detection systems, ID scanning and occupancy monitoring. Barilla said there are “just…