Sheriff feels Florida hurricane survivors 'need to not focus on drinking,' bans the sale of alcohol
Survivors of Hurricane Michael are learning that getting through the storm was only the beginning. They will have to assess the damage, deal with having no power, and eventually rebuild. But for now, officials in two Florida counties have decided that the residents can no longer unwind after a long day of assessing and rebuilding their destroyed homes with a stiff drink.
According to the Bradenton Herald, officials in Bay and Gulf counties have banned the sale and distribution of alcohol. Except for Panama City, whose leaders voted to allow the sale of alcohol from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., the alcohol ban will be enacted until the state of emergency is lifted.
Corey Dobridnia, a spokesperson for Gulf County Sheriff Mike Harrison, said that the sheriff “feels like people need to not focus on drinking. We need to not compound the situation with alcohol,” according to the Herald.
According to Dobridnia, the ban may be lifted on Saturday, should the power be restored. The sheriff “just wants to give people time to adjust and cope and the businesses time to get open and their feet back on the ground,” Dobridnia told the Northwest Florida Daily News.
However, plenty of residents were quick to voice their distaste for the ban on social media, some stating that it will likely hurt businesses, as they rely on alcohol sales.
Austen Bannan wrote, “The response of some local governments in Florida following a devastating hurricane is to play the role of parent over citizens and shut down local businesses based on what they deem is in the interest of the communities from their own lofty perspective. Can you imagine owning a business that sells alcohol in these areas, and now your government has decided to compound your financial challenges while angering would be customers as well?”
Colin Johnston joked, “This officially upgrades Michael to a category 6!”
The storm’s death toll is at 35, and currently, over 1,200 people are in public shelters. Alcohol may not help the situation, but it probably couldn’t hurt.
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