In a Letter to Mayor Dyer and City Council, NIVA Says Orlando’s Levy on 39 Small Businesses Has No Exact Precedent in the Nation; 10 of Those Businesses Have Already Closed
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 5, 2026) – The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) today called on the City of Orlando to immediately halt the fees charged under its After-Midnight Alcohol Sales permit program. In a letter sent today to Mayor Buddy Dyer and the Orlando City Council, NIVA asked the City to suspend the fees, bring every downtown stakeholder to the table within 30 days, and adopt a public safety funding model that covers the entire Downtown Entertainment Area - all of which disproportionately harms downtown’s cultural small businesses. The letter warns that the program "could be the most regressive unfunded mandate harming independent venues in the nation."
Since June 2023, the City has billed 39 downtown bars and venues more than $4.3 million for off-duty Orlando Police Department officers who patrol the whole district. Weekly invoices run from $990 to $2,970 per establishment, due whether the room is full or empty. Ten of the 39 live entertainment establishments have closed. The City's own facilities, including the Kia Center, Camping World Stadium, and the Dr. Phillips Center, pay nothing. Neither do downtown hotel bars.
"Police protection of public streets is a basic municipal service, funded by the general public because the general public benefits from it. A shortfall in a basic city service due to a City’s financial management issues should not be met by a levy on 39 small businesses struggling to survive," wrote Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA, in the letter.
"Every independent venue in Florida should be watching what Orlando has done," said Tom DeGeorge, NIVA Florida Chapter Acting President and owner of Crowbar in Tampa. "Two out of three of us already lose money in a given year. We pay for our own security, insurance, and staff. Now, one city has decided the smallest independent music venues downtown should also cover the police bill for the stadium, the arena, and the hotels. No other city in the country does this, and Orlando has already lost ten of these businesses finding out why."
"Celine has paid the City more than $328,000 for officers who do not work inside our building, on top of the private security we already pay for every night we are open," said Eric Fuller, owner of Celine in downtown Orlando. "We book artists from around the world, and we do more than our part to keep our patrons safe. The City now needs to do its part. The rooms that could not absorb this regressive tax are gone. We are asking the City to halt this program and bring everyone downtown to the table, not just the 39 small businesses who get the bill."
The letter asks the Council to:
Suspend the police-protection fee requirement under Sec. 33.03 immediately, pending a comprehensive review.
Convene a downtown public safety working group within 30 days that includes independent venues and promoters.
Adopt a funding model consistent with practice elsewhere.
Publish a full accounting of the program's expenditures, officer-hours, and outcomes, along with the list of exempt properties and the basis for each exemption.
The full letter to Mayor Dyer and the Orlando City Council is available HERE.
ABOUT NIVA
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is the nation’s live entertainment association, representing independent venues, festivals, promoters, and presenters across the United States. NIVA works to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent stages. NIVA empowers members and their teams with member benefits, advocacy on the state, local, and federal levels, an annual industry-leading conference, and more.
NIVA led the Save Our Stages campaign, culminating in landmark legislation in 2020 that established the $16.25 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, the largest arts investment in U.S. history.
NIVA is committed to equity in its support of independent stages. It seeks to create and encourage opportunities for venues, promoters, and festivals owned, operated, and staffed by people of color, women, non-binary, LGBTQ+, veterans, and people with disabilities.
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