Florida president tells mayor he wants to see less booze at event.
By David Hunt
City officials are sketching out plans to make this year’s Florida-Georgia game weekend safer after the University of Florida’s president said he remains concerned about binge drinking at the event.
Mayor John Peyton met with university President J. Bernard Machen earlier this week after Machen sent a letter saying he’d like to see less booze and a greater city investment in the Sideline Safety Zone program.
After student deaths in 2004 and 2005, university and city officials created the safety zones to try to curb alcohol abuse.
The safety zone program started, in part, to combat symptoms of the event’s nickname, “the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party.” The program provides areas where students can find assistance, ranging from basic medical help, first aid and water or to rendezvous with friends. While the safety zones helped at least 333 people during the weekend of last year’s game, Machen said he witnessed a rescue crew rush an underage girl to the hospital when she passed out drunk before noon on the day of the game.
“Despite these efforts … the two common denominators that contributed to the death of the two students have not been remedied,” Machen’s letter read.
The Times-Union obtained a copy of the letter Thursday. Machen made a list of requests, including:
- A 50 percent reduction in the number of alcohol distribution points while prohibiting shot sales at The Jacksonville Landing. More – Jacksonville.com
