PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — An outdoor dining ordinance is causing some controversy in the City of Dunedin.
The ordinance requires bars and restaurants to shut down their patios at 11 p.m. during the week and midnight on the weekends.
Local businesses are pushing to change the rule and say it's hurting business.
“If this continues the way that it is going, then you're going to have a lot of businesses close down," said George Courtney, owner of Reboot Arcade in Dunedin.
The ordinance has been in play since 2011. Courtney said it's hurting business, and he wants his customers to be able to spend more time on the patio.
“People come here, and they say, like, 'I don’t even play games. I just like sitting outside because it's quiet,'” Courtney said.
The ordinance also has noise restraints. Courtney said they have never had a noise citation, and his patio is relatively quiet.
The city said that Reboot knew about this ordinance when they signed and agreed to it years ago.
The city's planning agency will consider changes to the ordinance that would allow activity outdoors past the curfew.
Businesses would still have to comply with the noise restraints.
The city's planning agency will discuss the potential changes during a meeting on July 22. They will then make recommendations to the city council, which will discuss them later this year.
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