Local

Cocoa Beach leaders to discuss partial drinking ban

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Cocoa Beach leaders are set to discuss a partial drinking ban on the beach, following a rash of incidents where partying got out of hand.

“We have issues with urinating in public, we have issues with assault battery,” said Cocoa Beach City Manager Bob Majka.

Majka was tasked with coming up with some solutions to the unruly behavior, and a partial drinking ban tops his list.

“We’re also talking about a temporary moratorium in a defined area of the beach where alcohol would not be allowed,” he said. “One of our primary charges is to be family-friendly so that’s a lot of what’s driving this conversation.”

Where the ban would be is up for discussion.

It would be temporary at first, and if it’s successful, it would be up to the city commission to make it permanent.

In June, there were 400 incidents at the end of the Minutemen Causeway, but not all were alcohol-related.

Majka also suggests cleaning up more of the trash, putting in more public restrooms and adding more officers.

“It will be interesting to see how this goes in the meeting this evening,” Majka said.

The meeting is set to start at 6 p.m. Thursday, and owners of nearby businesses on Minutemen Causeway will have plenty to say.

The owners of Heidi’s Jazz Club said on the weekends their fine dining restaurant has had some unruly guests who walked straight off Cocoa Beach and through their front doors.

“(They were) throwing ice cubes into the patio and somebody stuck his finger into a customer’s wine,” said the owner.

Other business owners said the ban would hurt business.

“We’re one of the last city’s with that kind of freedom,” said business owner Sean Slater. “It’s not as bad as they think it is.”