Himmarshee district end passes first vote; permit tabled

The Fort Lauderdale City Commission voted Tuesday to end the Himmarshee Street entertainment district, but put off the permit plan that would have set late-night hours for the bars there.

Updated Oct. 23: the votes from the Oct. 20 meeting are below. The earlier preview follows.

How the commission voted on Oct. 20

The results are from the city’s meeting record for Oct. 20:

• Ending the Himmarshee district (PH-5): passed first reading as amended, 5-0. The record does not say what the amendment changed.
• The Extended Hour Permit ordinance (OFR-1): tabled, 5-0. No new date is listed.
• Higher alcohol fines citywide (PH-4): passed first reading, 5-0.

Commissioner Steven Glassman moved all three. Mayor Dean J. Trantalis, Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen and Commissioners Pam Beasley-Pittman and John C. Herbst voted yes.

Both ordinances that passed need a second vote at a later meeting before they take effect. The record does not say when the tabled permit ordinance will come back. We will update this page when the second readings are scheduled.

What was on the table

The three measures

• Ending the Himmarshee district (PH-5). The ordinance would decertify the special entertainment overlay district along SW 2nd Street between SW 2nd and SW 4th avenues.
• A permit for each bar (OFR-1). A new Extended Hour Permit District would cover part of the Himmarshee Village area. Each business inside it would apply on its own.
• Higher alcohol fines citywide (PH-4). The uncontested fine for an alcoholic beverage violation would rise from $150 to $425. The contested fine would rise from $225 to $500.

The fines would apply to every business that sells alcohol in the city, not just Himmarshee, the fines memo says. Violations include serving outside permitted hours and drinking beyond the licensed premises.

Why the city says the district no longer qualifies

The district dates to a 1999 agreement with a company called 111 Properties Inc. The city’s rules require all property in such a district to be under common ownership or control. Staff said in the decertification memo that this is no longer true:

• 111 Properties Inc. was administratively dissolved by the state on Sept. 27, 2019, and named no successor.
• Its property in the district was sold in 2014.
• The last agreement, signed in 2013, carried 10-year leases that have since expired.
• Seven businesses from that agreement are still operating. Another 14 operate in the district without being part of it.

The memo also cites fire and code data. Fire calls in the area are consistently higher between midnight and 4 a.m., and late-night medical calls have risen significantly since 2021, staff said. The area logged 57 code violations in fiscal year 2025, mostly for trash, property upkeep and public nuisance. Police calls for service showed a minor decrease from January 2023 through December 2025.

The city’s four other entertainment districts would stay: Beach Place, Historic Brickell, the McCrory Building and Toomey. No new ones could be created once the ordinance passes.

How the permit would work

Inside the new district, closing times would depend on whether a business holds the permit, according to the permit ordinance memo:

Hotel and restaurant bars qualify only with the right liquor license and a full menu served while alcohol is.

Each applicant would file a security and maintenance plan. The plan would cover:

• alcohol safety training, ID scanners and video cameras
• security staff during all open hours, paid for by the business
• extra security for special events and holidays
• regular pressure washing of the sidewalk, plus upkeep of alleys and dumpsters

Permits would renew each year by Sept. 30. The city would charge an application fee; the memo does not give the amount.

A violation would bring a fine and a 30-day suspension. The first would bar alcohol service after 2 a.m. for 30 days, and the second after midnight. Two suspensions within 12 months could lead to revocation. Businesses could appeal to a special magistrate within 10 days.

The memo lists what counts. A homicide or sexual battery at the business is a violation on one occurrence. So is a weapons offense or a drug sale by an employee, promoter or contractor.

Both the decertification and the permit rules would take effect 180 days after final adoption, to give businesses time to apply.

How it got here

The commission discussed the district at a June 30, 2025, workshop. On Feb. 3, 2026, it banned drinking off the premises and outdoor alcohol sales in the entertainment districts. In April, it told staff to draft the permit model for Himmarshee. A public meeting on June 15 drew comments from business owners seeking clarity and from neighbors asking the city to remove the district’s privileges, the memo says.

What it means for you

If you go out on Himmarshee, nothing changes yet. Each measure needs a second vote, and the memos say the district change would take effect 180 days after final adoption.

If you run a bar or restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, the higher fines would reach you wherever you are. If you run one in the Himmarshee area, you would need a permit and a written security plan to keep serving past midnight.

You can speak at the second readings by signing up in the lobby of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, 1300 W. Broward Blvd., where the commission meets. For the area itself, see our downtown neighborhood guide and live music and nightlife.