Bill Could Loosen Open Container Laws

Places like New Orleans and Las Vegas allow you to walk in the street with an alcoholic beverage. Soon, some downtown areas in Mississippi could be added to that list. State Legislators are looking to loosen open container laws in downtown areas across Mississippi. News 25’s Kristen Durand spoke with some business owners here on the Coast.
Want your margarita to go from your favorite downtown hot spot? Well, that could be a reality in the near future. House Bill 1223 could allow downtown areas all across Mississippi to let you leave the bar, restaurant, or nightclub with your drink. Restaurant owner Rob Stinson said, “This would allow the freedom for people to actually walk around and when they’re coming from other states, they just assume they can do that which a lot of areas allow on the beach. I think it will help us with tourism which is obviously the driving force.”
The bill would require city officials to draw up a map including set boundaries where open containers would be allowed, as well as ensuring extra police presence in the area. Biloxi is looking at drawing a boundary around their downtown area as well as Restaurant Row along Highway 90. Stinson owns a number of Coast restaurants such as Pelican Wharf and the Reef and he says it’s an idea he will toast to. “Here in Biloxi when the boardwalk becomes a reality on the beach, it would allow people to walk freely if we could zone that as an entertainment district. So, lots of benefits in doing this.”
Some Legislators are even calling it the Fishbone Alley Bill, hoping it will add to the revitalization of downtown Gulfport. “Be able to have the use of walking foot traffic is what everybody wants and it would be kind of an entertainment center. It kind of brings more people down to this area and revitalizes the whole downtown Gulfport,” said David Dickensauge, owner and head chef at Corks and Cleaver.
Even some city officials are raising their glasses to the idea, calling it a driver for economic development and tourism here on the Coast. City of Biloxi Chief Administrative Officer David Nichols said, “Especially when you have festivals and things like that and people are able to move around, especially late at night downtown you have people moving from one place to the other.”