State: Designated drivers get seat at the bar under new law

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Designated drivers get seat at the bar under new law

By TIMES STAFF WRITER
Published June 19, 2007

Gov. Charlie Crist has signed state Sen. Mike Fasano's bill prohibiting bars from refusing service to a person who does not purchase alcohol. The bill stems from a dispute last year in which a man claimed Carlie's Lounge in Pinellas Park threw him out for not drinking.

"In an age when we are encouraging responsible drinking and driving, it is inconceivable that any reputable establishment would not support a customer being a designated driver, " Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said Monday . "This legislation will give needed protections to those customers who choose not to drink alcoholic beverages so they can safely drive their friends home."

The law goes into effect Oct. 1.

[Last modified June 18, 2007, 22:17:09]

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by In The Know	06/20/07 11:48 AM
To MS.... the Monkey Bar relocated to Gulf to Bay Blvd and is alive and well. It is in the old Norm's Place Bar which the owner had to sell after a fatal stabbing between two patrons who were found to be under 21 years old and drinking in the bar.

by Jack	06/19/07 06:17 PM
Although I have read the article involving a customer at Carlie's being thrown out because he didn't drink, I will state that not only was I there that evening but I too don't drink and was never asked to leave because I had a soft drink. So......

by Paul	06/19/07 02:29 PM
Isn't it against the law to throw somebody out of a bar for not drinking alcohol even if they are NOT the designated driver ? Suppose you just feel like having a soda or suppose you have a medical condition(diabetes)that you should't drink with ?

by ms	06/19/07 01:24 PM
Carlie's is still open? I thought they closed that dump a long time ago. At least they tore the rat trap Monkey Bar down.

by Kevin	06/19/07 10:15 AM
It's probably not something the bar announced over a loudspeaker. Besides, capitalism always does what maximizes profit, not what is in the best interest of the community.

by Dean	06/19/07 09:12 AM
Man, the designated drivers should get free sodas for keeping their friends, and the public, safe. Remind me never to go to Carlie's Lounge...wait, I wouldn't go there anyway.

by Carl	06/19/07 08:08 AM
It is rather pathetic that a law has to be written where you are forced to buy an alcohol drink or be thrown out of the establishment. When that happened, everyone should have left.