JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Council members Ju’Coby Pittman and Reggie Gaffney Jr. have introduced legislation aiming to crack down on the number of liquor stores in the city.
At the corner of Soutel Drive and Archery Drive, there are at least three standalone liquor stores in close proximity. Pittman said she has noticed an increased number of these stores in her district.
“There’s nothing wrong with having one liquor store, maybe on the corridor, but when you start talking about two and three, that’s a problem,” Pittman said. “That’s a problem for me, and that’s a problem for the residents, and they’ve shared that with me several times in community meetings.”
Pittman said the current distance allowed between liquor stores is 500 feet, which is less than one-tenth of a mile.
“It appears that we have more liquor stores than we need,” she said. “And so, what we’re doing is changing the distance from 500 to 1500 feet to make sure, one, that what matters to the community matters to me, and they brought this to my attention.”
Several people told News4JAX off-camera that they too have noticed the increase in liquor stores. Beulah Williams regularly visits the Legends Center and has been concerned about this.
“Our young children do not need to be exposed to those stores,” Williams said. “If they are there or here, wherever they are, the kids are going to go.”
Pittman also said this would not apply to places like restaurants or entertainment venues where food is served. She also said this is not meant to be anti-business, but her constituents are concerned.
“When I ran for office, one of my goals was to make sure that we bring businesses to our community and in the urban core, and so I’m not against bringing liquor stores to the community,” Pittman said. “This is an older neighborhood, it’s a seasoned neighborhood, and they know what they want. I’m supposed to represent them at the table, represent them at city council, and this is an opportunity to share with my colleagues that this is an issue.”
Williams said in the future, she hopes to see other businesses pop up. Especially those geared toward children and their development.
“So, anything that they could put in this area that would keep them busy,” Williams said. “Especially during the time that they are out of school.”
The proposed ordinance is now in committee with the city council. Read the full proposal below.
