Orlando is installing barricades to move nightlife from the streets to sidewalks, aiming to improve safety and reduce late-night incidents.

Orlando: City officials are taking steps to change the nightlife scene. They want to move the street parties back onto the sidewalks. It’s a big shift for a city known for its vibrant nightlife.
Starting this Friday, they’ll put up barricades on Central Boulevard and Pine Street. This is an extension of what they’ve already done on Orange Avenue on weekends since November.
The city’s plan is to let cars back on the roads at night. They want to stop the practice of closing off streets for nightlife, which has been a common sight for years.
City leaders say the street party vibe has been linked to several late-night shootings, including a tragic mass shooting on Halloween. This usually happens around 2 a.m., when bars are closing.
David Barilla, who heads the Downtown Development Board, mentioned that this expansion will help reintroduce vehicle traffic in the area. They’re focusing on making the streets safer.
Back in November, they started putting barricades on Orange Avenue, allowing only emergency personnel to access that lane. Now, people need to use crosswalks like they would during the day.
In the next few weeks, they plan to extend these barricades further, pushing the nightlife completely off the streets. There’s no set timeline for this yet, but they’re working on it.
Barilla emphasized the importance of giving people a heads-up about these changes. They want to make sure everyone knows what’s coming.
This announcement came right after Mayor Buddy Dyer lifted a state of emergency that included a curfew and a ban on late-night alcohol sales. This was in response to a shooting that left two dead and several injured on Halloween.
Interestingly, many bar owners are on board with this plan. Previous solutions, like requiring permits for late-night liquor sales, have been more costly for them.
It’s a big change for Orlando, and it’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.