The nanny staters might lose a battle, but they can always be counted on to keep trying.
In a hail of opposition from business owners, a Tampa City Council proposal to curb crime by requiring special permits for alcohol sales after midnight died Thursday morning. The measure could be reborn with input from a committee of business owners, neighborhood residents and government officials. Council Chairman Charlie Miranda called for the community-wide effort after opposition mounted against the proposal by Councilwoman Yvonne Yolie Capin for late-night permits. Council members arrived at Old City Hall on Thursday morning to find a roomful of angry business owners facing them across the dais. Opponents of the proposal spent more than an hour telling council members the proposal is a threat to their livelihoods. They also said it would punish well-behaved businesses just to catch a few bad operators.
The Tribune helpfully noted it wasn't "clear the people in the crowd on Thursday understood the finer points of the proposal," because, for example, the proposal did not seek to actually ban bars from staying open after midnight. But for nanny staters regulations are like Lay's, you can't have just one.
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