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Sunday Alcohol Sales Nearing for Port St. Joe
11/19/08 - 04:28 PM
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Residents of one Panhandle city are divided over a decades-old prohibition on Sunday alcohol sales.

The City of Port St. Joe currently allows alcohol to be sold Monday through Saturday only, but the city commission could soon vote to change that.

“It’s a pity in a way, because when you buy your beer and your wine and stuff you have to go way across the bridge. They can sell it over there on sundays, why not here in town?” says Port St. Joe resident David Williams.

Alcohol is for sale in the rest of the county on Sunday afternoons.

Lodging and hospitality officials say the city has 14 businesses that depend on alcohol sales..

Mayor Mel Madgison says the current ordinance hurts those businesses in a struggling economy and hurts the city in the form of lost tax revenue.

“You talk to the restaurants, a lot of people they find out they can’t get a beer or glass of wine on sunday at the restaurant, they get up and leave,” says Madgison.

A proposed ordinance would permit alcohol sales 7 days a week.

“It’s been a long time coming, and I think it’ll do good for business. and bring more people in, like restaurants,” says Carl Lamb, manager of the St. Joe Bar and Package Store.

But there’s vocal opposition to the change.

Port St. Joe has always been a Bible belt community, God-fearing people. I believe if they want to do alcohol sales on Sunday, it needs to be after 1:00. Anything before is not necessary,” says resident Daniel Raffield.

“Their argument is somehow it’s lowering our standards, or lowering our values. It may be their values but it’s not everyone’s values, and we have to respect everyone’s,” says Madgison.

Some businesses say the choice of serving alcohol on Sundays should be theirs.
“If they want to open, they can. If they don’t, they don’t have to,” says Lamb.

The city commission is set to vote on the issue at their next meeting on Tuesday, December 2.

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