Jacksonville City Council member Joe Carlucci introduced a resolution Tuesday that would ask the Florida Legislature to let people carry open alcoholic drinks in designated parts of Pearl Square, the sprawling downtown development taking shape along the riverfront. Resolution 2026-0817 would request the creation of the Pearl Square Open Container District, allowing licensed sellers to pour beer, wine or spirits into specially marked to-go cups of up to 16 ounces for patrons to carry through common areas.
The proposal, first reported by the Jacksonville Daily Record, would set consumption hours of 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays. Vendors inside the district would be able to let customers carry drinks out the door without obtaining any additional state licensure beyond what they already hold. Carlucci told the Daily Record the measure would not loosen general alcohol-service rules or change how late area businesses can stay open.
It would not be the first time Jacksonville has carved out this kind of exception. The City Council approved the Downtown Riverwalk Specialty Center in 2024, covering both stretches of the Riverwalk, with the same 16-ounce container limit and the same Friday-Saturday-versus-weekday hour split now proposed for Pearl Square, according to the Daily Record's reporting.
A Billion-Dollar Backdrop Downtown
Pearl Square sits at the center of Gateway Jax, a mixed-use project the Daily Record describes as valued at more than $750 million, though other project materials put the overall development at $1 billion spanning nine city blocks, according to dtjax.com. Separate reporting from oftmw.com describes a master plan covering more than two million square feet, with over 1,250 residential units, 100,000 square feet of office space and more than 200,000 square feet of retail and dining space once the project is built out. Gateway Jax is a partnership between CEO Bryan Moll, JWB Real Estate Capital and DLP Capital, per the Daily Record.
The first piece of that plan to open will be Vandeveer, a seven-story apartment complex with ground-floor retail. Gateway Jax announced in July that the 205-unit building's commercial tenants would include Bar Citra, which plans to sell wines, coffee, pastries and seasonal plates, the Daily Record reports.
Beer Garden Set for Fall Opening
Just east of Vandeveer, on what's known as Porter House Lawn, Buchner's Biergarten is preparing to open this fall as an expansion of Buchner's Bierhalle in Murray Hill. The dtjax.com listing says the outdoor beer garden will begin operating on Porter House Lawn starting in October 2026, serving signature German beers from a vintage-inspired Citroën truck alongside shareable small plates, sausages, sandwiches, cheese and charcuterie.
Beyond the beer garden, Gateway Jax has also lined up a Japanese concept from Steve Palmer of the Indigo Road Hospitality Group inside Vandeveer and an Italian restaurant from Indigo in the planned Hotel Merrydelle, the Daily Record reports. Oftmw.com adds that the initial retail roster also includes PopUp Bagels, Go Greek Yogurt in its first Northeast Florida location, JETSET Pilates and Pearl Street Nails, with Buchner's and JETSET targeted for fall 2026 and additional tenants continuing through early 2027.
How Other Florida and Georgia Cities Handled It
Jacksonville would not be the first city to experiment with open-container zones as a way to energize a commercial district. Atlanta's City Council approved its first such neighborhood in historic South Downtown, and the change took effect ahead of the World Cup, according to ajc.com. The zone, largely bounded by the Garnett and Five Points MARTA stations, lets people carry alcoholic drinks on public sidewalks and streets for the first time in any Atlanta neighborhood, as reported by cbsnews.com. City leaders there said the goal was to make the area more vibrant and walkable, and officials plan to judge success by tracking foot traffic, business activity and overall vibrancy.
Florida has its own precedents. In Lake Wales, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation making it the first city in Polk County with an open-container district, according to tampabay28.com, with participating businesses serving drinks in special branded cups so customers can walk throughout the zone. City leaders there said the goal was a more walkable downtown that encourages shopping and dining. Years earlier, Mount Dora's City Council considered a similar downtown district that would have allowed outdoor consumption of beer, cocktails and other alcoholic beverages seven days a week, per orlandosentinel.com.
What State Law Already Requires
Any Pearl Square district would still operate inside existing state alcohol rules. Under Florida Statutes Section 565.045, vendors licensed under section 565.02(1)(b)-(f) may already sell or deliver alcoholic beverages by the drink or in sealed containers for consumption on or off the premises where sold. For off-premises consumption, the law requires that a drink be sealed by the licensee with an unbroken seal, placed in a secured bag or container, and accompanied by a dated receipt covering the alcohol and any food purchased. The statute also specifies that alcoholic beverages without a manufacturer's seal must be stored in a locked compartment, locked trunk or the area behind a vehicle's last upright seat when transported by car.
For now, Resolution 2026-0817 is only a request directed at Tallahassee, asking state lawmakers to authorize the district rather than creating it outright. As Pearl Square's first tenants prepare to open their doors this fall, the measure sets up Jacksonville's next test of whether a drink-in-hand downtown can pencil out the way it has in Atlanta, Lake Wales and along the city's own Riverwalk.
