Welcome to Tampa Alcohol Coalition

Tampa Alcohol Coalition

This website is designed to provide the community with ways to actively take part in helping reduce and prevent underage drinking, high-risk drinking and impaired driving. Tampa Alcohol Coalition's mission is to support alcohol education and media campaigns, underage drinking law enforcement, environmental alcohol prevention training and alcohol policy change. To find out about what is being done to stop underage drinking in Tampa Bay, read this Bay News 9 web article A Battle Against the Bottle.

Next TAC meeting: The next meeting will be held on May 20th, 2008 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino at 2:30 pm. For more details see Events.

TAC Alcohol Policy Page
TAC Impaired Driving Page

Underage Drinking Town Hall meeting

The underage drinking town hall meeting Florida Kids and Alcohol- A Parent's Perspective, was held on April 17th at 6 pm at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg. Sponsors for the town hall included WEDU, Pinellas LiveFree Coalition, and the Hillsborough County Anti Drug Alliance. The meeting will be aired on April 24th at 9:30 pm on WEDU. For more information, go to the WEDU website.

The

Underage drinking town hall meeting at Gibbs High School

2008 Alcohol Legislation

The 2008 Florida state legislative session is in progress. Two bills related to underage drinking have been introduced and are continuing to move forward. There are also DUI related bills that would make ignition interlock mandatory for certain first time offenders. Click on the bill number to get the latest information:

S 2044 GENERAL BILL by Senator Posey

Serving alcohol to a minor- increased penalties

H 1527- General Bill by Representative Sasso (identical bill to S 2044)

Serving alcohol to a minor- increased penalties

S 456 General Bill by Senator Wise

Requires ignition interlock for certain first time offenders

H 369 General Bill by Representative Simmons (Compare to S 456)

Requires ignition interlock for certain first time offenders

Watch this video produced by Mothers Against Drunk Driving Florida to support the ignition interlock legislation: Grace's Law

Ignition Interlocks- how a device can stop impaired driving

Mothers Against Drunk Driving wants ignition Interlocks to be mandatory for all convicted DUI offenders. The devices are installed in cars to stop motorists from driving drunk. Ignition interlocks require the driver to blow into them to start the car. If the driver's BAC is too high, the car won't start.

For more information on alcohol legislation and policy go to: www.myfcap.org

Please Don't Drink and Drive

If you drink, don't drive. Make sure you have a designated driver or arrange for a safe ride home- call a taxi or a sober friend. Driving impaired is dangerous and can be expensive. Learn about the.$9,000 Drink- what a night of drinking can cost you (tbt article)

Other Options:

AAA Tow to Go- if you have too much to drink on holidays, call Tow to Go

1-800-AAA-HELP for a safe ride home, and get your car towed home too. In Tampa, Tow to Go is sponsored by AAA and Pepin Distributing. Another choice for a safe ride is Zingo Tampa- a new designated driver program in Tampa. Call 888-ZINGO-11. The Zingo driver arrives on a scooter which folds up and is placed in your car trunk. The Zingo driver drives you home in your own car, then takes off on his scooter. St. Petersburg Times article about Zingo Tampa.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office S.A.V.E. program- working with alcohol vendors to save lives. The Sheriff's Office, Tampa Alcohol Coalition and Pepin Distributing collaborated to hold a symposium on responsible beverage service for bar owners and mangers. See news story featured on WTVT FOX News on March 4, 2008

Alcohol Policy- Hot Topics

Currently, 18- 20 year-olds are allowed to patronize bars in Florida, even though the minimum drinking age is 21. Ten cities and counties have enacted ordinances to ban persons under the age of 21 from bars. Here are recent articles on this topic:

The City of Sunrise approved a Patron Age restriction ordinance in February 2008. Here is a link to the ordinance: City of Sunrise Patron Age Restriction
The City of Venice has proposed an ordinance to restrict persons under age 21 from bars. The final reading will be on November 27.
The City of Seminole held a Public Hearing on the proposed "under" 21 ordinance on October 9th. The City Council voted 4 to 3 against the proposal. TAC and LiveFree coalitions advocated for an ordinance restricting those under age 21 from bars but advised against a grandfather clause exempting existing clubs. The Seminole City Council plans to revise the ordinance and exclude the grandfather clause. Jessica Rasdall and members of the LiveFree coalition spoke in favor of the ordinance at a public hearing held on August 14.
Proposed Under 21 Ordinance Affects Two Bars (July 17, 2007, St. Petersburg Times). An ordinance to ban 18 to 20 year olds from certain bars in Seminole received tentative approval from the City Council.
Sarasota Bars to Boot Minors (May 24, 2007, Tampa Tribune) Sarasota County became the 8th municipality in Florida to ban 18 to 20 year olds from bars/ clubs.
Finding the Right Mix (April 27th, 2007, St. Petersburg Times) Ybor City club owners say they've learned to balance fun and safety. But the deaths of two underage drinkers last year show how the scale can tip toward disaster.
Combating Underage Drinking Requires Nightclubs Banning Teens (April 10, 2007, Tampa Tribune editorial)

Raymond James Stadium will not expand liquor sales throughout the stadium

On August 30th, Tampa City Council denied Raymond James Stadium's request to expand hard liquor sales beyond club seats to the entire stadium. Tampa Alcohol Coalition and the Hillsborough County Anti Drug Alliance urged City Council to vote against the request or to allow a one year conditional wet zoning. Coalition representatives stated that excessive drinking was already a problem at football games held in the stadium and that allowing more alcohol choices could lead to increased consumption and problems, including impaired driving after the game. Council voted against the Stadium's request 4-2. Read more in the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times.

Adults Cleared of Open House Party Charges

What is the Open House Party statute? link to Florida Statute 856.015

An ICARE* investigation resulted in two adults in Hillsborough County being charged with violating the "Open House Party" statute. Tara McEntarffer and Lamar Justice allegedly allowed an underage drinking party at their home. At the party, 17 year old Tyler Clark and other teens drank alcohol. Later, Tyler drove away in his car with seven other teens piled in and was involved in a crash. Tyler Clark was killed and several teens were seriously injured. The investigation determined the two adults allowed the teens to drink in their home, and they were charged with violating Florida statute 856.015. But, Tara McEntarffer, 42, and her boyfriend, Lamar Justice, 42, were cleared of the open house party charges at their trial on April 11, 2008. See story on FOX 13 News and in the Tampa Tribune. The evidence and the testimonies of teens who were at the party on October 7, 2006 helped clear the couple of the charges. The teens who participated in the party at the McEntarffer home said the adults came home from a night out and told the teens to leave. The prosecutor could not prove that the adults were aware of the party and allowed it to go on, but argued that the couple should not have let the drinking teens drive away from the home in their cars. If convicted of the charges, the couple could have been fined up to $500 and sentenced to up to 60 days in jail.

* ICARE is a Division of Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco program that aims to identify the source of alcohol in underage drinking incidents which result in serious injuries and fatalities. ICARE brochure

Alcohol at Community Events

Gasparilla Day Parade 2007 - Powerpoint

A Sobering Thought - An opinion on underage drinking at the Gasparilla Parade in Tampa by Joe O'Neill

Hot Topics:

Alcopops

Learn about sweet tasting alcoholic beverages that are marketed towards young adults.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has filed a notice of intent to sue alcoholic beverage companies over the production of alcohol energy drinks. See related article.

Alcohol and the Teen Brain According to the New York Times article The Grim Neurology of Teenage Drinking, a young person's brain is still developing into the early twenties, and underage drinking can adversely affect the developing brain. "There is no doubt about it now: there are long-term cognitive consequences to excessive drinking of alcohol in adolescence," said Aaron White, an assistant research professor in the psychiatry department at Duke University. For more information on alcohol's effects on the brain and underage drinking research, go to Dr. Aaron White's web site: Topics in Alcohol Research.

Failing Sarah is the story of a Tampa teenager, Sarah Rinaldi, who died on June 30, 2006 after a night of drinking in an Ybor club and using prescription drugs.

No Escape is the story of two 18 year old girls who went out drinking in an Ybor City nightclub in February 2006, then drove back to Pinellas County. A crash occurred, injuring one and killing the other. The driver, Jessica Rasdall, now 20 years old, has been charged with DUI manslaughter of her best friend Laura Gorman. Ms. Rasdall has made numerous alcohol awareness presentations to students in the Tampa Bay area. She created the SMILE foundation and a website to advocate against underage drinking and impaired driving, and promote sober activities for those under age 21. Jessica Rasdall went to court recently with a proposal for her sentencing, but the judge refused to accept it. Student Faces Prison for Fatal DUI Accident. Jessica Rasdall created a foundation and website "SMILE" Sober Message Influenced by Life Experience" as a memorial to her friend Laura Gorman and to raise awareness about the dangers of alcohol and drugs.

Underage drinking cost the citizens of Florida $3.7 billion in 2005. The costs include medical care, work loss, and pain and suffering associated with impaired driving crashes, injuries, homicide, suicide and other problems resulting from the use of alcohol by Florida's youth. (Reference PIRE, 2006)

One approach for reducing alcohol and other drug problems is community-based prevention programs. These programs focus on changing the environment in which a person consumes alcohol rather than the behavior of the individual drinker. Increasing enforcement of underage drinking laws, restricting cheap and free drink specials and changing the bar entrance age to 21 and up are all effective ways to change the alcohol environment and reduce youth access to alcohol. Community Coalitions that focus on underage drinking can make a big impact on changing the alcohol environment. Here is a Directory of Florida Community Coalitions.

Florida alcohol laws are not as strict as other states. In Florida, 18 year olds can patronize and work in bars. There are no restrictions on "drink specials" such as "Kill the Keg" and Ladies Drink Free". Bars can offer drinking games such as "beer pong". Florida is one of only 3 states in the US that do not have a criminal law against serving obviously intoxicated persons. Florida's dram shop law is weak; it states that bar employees who serve obviously intoxicated persons over age 21 are not civilly liable (unless the intoxicated person is a habitual drunkard). Related story in the Dec. 22, 2007 Gainesville Sun. Learn more about Florida Alcohol Policy and policy resources for coalitions, click on the TAC Alcohol Policy Page.

Have you observed a store clerk selling alcohol to a minor? Do you know a bar or club that serves underage young people? Call this number to report it:

6,633 people were arrested for DUI in Hillsborough County in 2007 (HCSO, Central Breath Testing), a 6% decrease from 2006. In 2007, 478 persons arrested for DUI were under the age of 21 (HCSO, CBT). In 2006, Hillsborough County reported the most DUI arrests in Florida, according to the FDLE Uniform Crime Reports. 60 people died in alcohol-related fatalities in Hillsborough County in 2006 (DHSMV Florida Traffic Crash Facts). For more on impaired driving statistics and resources, click on the TAC Impaired Driving Page.

Early in the morning on Wednesday, August 15, 2007, Sergeant Ronald Harrison, supervisor of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office 3 D DUI squad was shot and killed after completing a successful DUI checkpoint in Brandon. Sergeant Harrison served the Sheriff's Office for more than 27 years, and was active on several boards and community groups, including the Tampa Alcohol Coalition. He dedicated his life to public safety. Ron Harrison will be greatly missed. Related articles on tbo.com. WTSP news story and videos about Sgt. Harrison's funeral on August 21, 2007. Read the reflections about Sgt. Ron Harrison on his Officer Down Memorial page

Do you drink too much? Find out by taking the quiz below. Click on "Is my drinking risky?"

Tampa Alcohol Coalition is a subcommittee of the Hillsborough County Anti Drug Alliance.

Do you have questions about Tampa Alcohol Coalition or comments on this web site? Contact er.snelling@verizon.net