ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando workers arrived in trucks shortly after noon Wednesday, placing barriers to block off streets as business owners tested the iconic giant orange mounted to a rooftop pole.
For the second year in a row, however, this scene played out in Thornton Park, which claimed the title of the center of New Year’s Eve over Church Street last year.
For its part, Church Street was quiet Wednesday, as was much of downtown. A few delivery trucks could be seen making the rounds, including one driver, who stopped off at Tanqueray’s for the final time in 37 years.
The bar announced its last day of operation would be New Year’s Eve.
“When I used to go there, it had great character,” Tom Wert said. “It was a very unique place for Orlando.”
Tanqueray’s will join a growing list of empty storefronts. Some former bars are facing writs of possession, while the former Embr had a notice on its window informing the owner that furniture would be seized to pay $24,000 of unpaid taxes.
It’s the effect of the city’s policies toward downtown bars. The city implemented permit restrictions and spacing requirements in response to a series of high-profile shootings several years ago, most notably a shooting Halloween night.
The bars have since struggled to operate – a result some in city hall don’t see as a negative, believing there is more opportunity to create a healthy downtown with a better mix of businesses and more businesses that are open during the daytime.
When reached Wednesday, city staff said they didn’t know how long this transition phase would last.
They pointed to smaller programs like façade improvements for stores that they said encouraged businesses to move in and cited construction projects they expect to break ground in the first half of 2026, including a project to make Magnolia Avenue two-way.
“Projects of this scale typically span multiple years,” spokeswoman Andrea Otero wrote.
They’ll also have to convince would-be patrons downtown is worth visiting again.
“People aren’t going to come here to do business or or socialize when they don’t feel like it’s safe,” Wert said.
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