Forget taking that bottle of beer or liquor to the beach: The one-year trial ban of drinking alcohol on beaches is in effect. The ban also applies to bay shores and coastal parks. First-time violators face a $250 fine and repeat offenders could spend six months in jail.
Although the ban kicked in on Tuesday, Police Chief William Lansdown says officers won't start writing citations for 30 days, using the first month to educate beachgoers.
Opponents of the ban submitted petitions containing more than 42,000 signatures to City Hall on Jan. 5. But the City Clerk's Office on Monday said a random sampling of more than 1,300 signatures found only about half to be legitimate.
