Orange County cracking down on after-hours bars

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orange County Sheriff's Office is pushing for tougher punishment for people who operate illegal after-hours bars and clubs.

Orange County Sheriff John Mina says after-hours clubs and bars bring crime to the community, including shootings and drug trafficking. Now, he is pushing for lawmakers to increase the punishment for illegal alcohol sales from a misdemeanor to a felony.

"The problem is these legal bars shut down at 2 a.m., and then that crowd goes to these after-hour bars and then will purchase alcohol after 2 a.m. all the way up to 5-6 a.m.," said Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Joseph Bellizio on the Behind the Star podcast. 

"Doesn’t sound like a big problem, but in reality, a lot of issues come up. We have a lot of shootings and violent crimes. A lot of noise complaints. These are open Sunday-Saturday, and people are trying to go to work, and music is blaring. And, when these clubs are done, there is trash all over the parking lot that legit businesses have to clean up," he continued.

In December, two people were shot outside Upstate Hall, which was operating illegally as an after-hours club. Two people were arrested in that case for selling alcohol inside the club without a liquor license after 2 a.m.

Just a month before that, Sheriff Mina put together a strike team to go after businesses like Upstate Hall. They report there are 90 of these illegal bars and clubs in Orange County.

Currently, according to Florida law, the punishment for illegal alcohol sales is a misdemeanor, but Sheriff Mina believes those fines aren't harsh enough to stop people from operating these businesses. He'd like to see state lawmakers increase the punishment to a felony in hopes that it would deter this kind of behavior.

If you know of one of these clubs, you can report it to Crimeline anonymously at 800-423-TIPS (8477).