May 01--Orlando is working on a far-reaching proposal for its thriving and sometimes out-of-control nightclub scene downtown, including banning those younger than 21 from most clubs and giving bar patrons an extra hour to drink.

The first change, and possibly the most controversial, would allow alcohol to be served until 3 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at bars and nightclubs downtown.

"Customers can enjoy themselves more," Parallel Nightclub owner Rudy Thack said of the later hours. "They'll be happier, and that will make us more money."

That's not likely to sit well with bars elsewhere in the city, which would still have to stop serving at 2 a.m.

"Will people not come out to my place anymore because they know there are later drinking hours downtown?" said Steve Sullivan, co-owner of Cowboys Orlando, less than a mile outside downtown. "I can tell you from experience, everybody has had enough to drink by 2 a.m. But if [city officials] decide it's in the best interests of the community, let it be for the entire city, not just one cherry-picked area downtown."

The change would also come with new regulations. City officials are developing three separate ordinances, and all are works in progress that could change significantly before being brought to the City Council this summer. On Monday and Tuesday, city administrators held five meetings about the proposals with separate groups of bar owners to gather their thoughts.

Thomas Chatmon, director of the city's Downtown Development Board, said the goal of its "Destination Downtown" plan is to make the city's core appealing to an older demographic.

"Candidly, we believe our entertainment district is skewing younger than we'd like to see it," he said.

Older professionals have more disposable income, don't cause as much trouble and are easier to clean up after, but they don't want to mix with the young nightclub patrons, he said.

And that's the trade-off for club owners. Many now improve their bottom lines by allowing patrons 18 years and older and charging them a cover charge. Under the city's proposal, those under 21 would be barred from entering most downtown establishments after 10 p.m. The exception would be venues such as the Beacham that are primarily used for live music.

City leaders also would create an "Intense Entertainment Zone" in the heart of downtown where the noise ordinance would allow the music thumping from dance clubs to be even louder than is currently permitted.

Now, city code caps noise from downtown businesses at 75 decibels before midnight on weekdays and before 2 a.m. on weekends, when measured 50 feet from the source of the sound. The proposed ordinance -- despite frequent noise complaints -- would raise that level to 85 decibels. By contrast, a freight train is about 80 decibels when measured from 50 feet away.

Many bar owners like the idea of later alcohol hours. At the same time, the city is considering a slew of regulations that some owners found worrisome:

--Owners of bars with a maximum occupancy of more than 100 would be required to use electronic ID scanners to verify their customers are old enough to drink.

--The largest establishments -- those with a maximum occupancy of more than 300 -- would be required to hire an off-duty Orlando police officer to keep the peace if they serve alcohol after midnight.

"Last year, we had some horrific events happen downtown ... homicide, stabbings, fights, officers getting attacked," police Chief Paul Rooney said. "We took a hard look at that and said, 'How can we do things better, safer; how can we be more effective?"

--Though the allowable noise level would be increased, city officials are trying to curtail the use of portable speakers that clubs place outside on the sidewalk to lure customers with booming dance music. Now, clubs often turn up their outdoor speakers in an escalating war with their competitors.

--The city would tighten its rules for patio seating outside downtown bars and restaurants, restricting how much of the public sidewalk the businesses can use.

Any business that serves alcohol after midnight would have to obtain a new "after-hours permit," and city officials don't yet know how much that permit will cost. And if a business racks up more than six violations of the new city rules -- either by allowing someone younger than 21 inside, playing music too loud, failing to use an ID scanner and more -- the permit will be revoked, effectively putting them out of business.

Some proprietors said they're concerned that the proposal being considered, with three separate ordinances and new permits, is so complex that it could have unforeseen effects on the downtown economy.

Scott Schrope, who owns Eola Wine Co., said the proposal might require him to hire a doorman to check customers with an ID scanner, though the clientele at his Thornton Park wine bar bears little resemblance to those at the clubs a few blocks away.

"They're forcing an awful lot of things on business owners," Schrope said. "All the layers of regulation, the penalties that come with it and the logistics of it all are troubling."

[email protected], 407-420-5417 or Twitter @MarkSchlueb

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