Winter Park Considers Repealing Sunday Alcohol Sales Restriction · the32789

An ordinance allowing sales and services to begin at 7 a.m., seven days a week, is on the agenda for the commission’s July 24 meeting. Photo by: Jim Carchidi

Sunday breakfast on Park Avenue could soon include serving alcohol. At their next meeting, city commissioners will hear the first reading of an ordinance that would prohibit the sale, consumption and service of alcoholic beverages between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. every day of the week.

The current 11 a.m. Sunday start time allows for brunch, but licensed breakfast restaurants such as First Watch and Briarpatch on Park Avenue can serve all day. The move to a 7 a.m. Sunday start would also benefit supermarket and convenience store customers who are shopping for the week or planning events on Sunday afternoon. Tampa lifted its Sunday limits in January 2021, just in time for the city to host the Super Bowl.

The first reading of the order will be heard on Wednesday, July 24, and the commissioners will vote definitively at their next meeting on August 14.

The City Commission will also continue hearings on the 2025 city budget Wednesday and set the tentative property tax rate. The current rate of 4.0923 (a mill equals $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of assessed value of a property) has been in place since 2009. Commissioners set the rate at the start of budget negotiations, but can move the number to increase funding as the plan evolves. Winter Park’s 25-year strategic plan contains $126 million in potential projects with no identified means of financing. If the commission decides to raise the rate by a quarter-point, the city could gain an additional $2.2 million in property tax revenue. Residents can attend in person or virtually and provide input during public comment.

The full meeting agenda and registration for virtual access are available at cityofwinterpark.org/meetings.