Jacksonville City Council member Joe Carlucci introduced a resolution Tuesday that would ask the Florida Legislature to let people carry open alcoholic drinks in designated parts of Pearl Square, the sprawling downtown development taking shape along the riverfront. Resolution 2026-0817 would request the creation of the Pearl Square Open Container District, allowing licensed sellers to pour beer, wine or spirits into specially marked to-go cups of up to 16 ounces for patrons to carry through common areas.
The proposal, first reported by the Jacksonville Daily Record, would set consumption hours of 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays. Vendors inside the district would be able to let customers carry drinks out the door without obtaining any additional state licensure beyond what they already hold. Carlucci told the Daily Record the measure would not loosen general alcohol-service rules or change how late area businesses can stay open.
It would not be the first time Jacksonville has carved out this kind of exception. The City Council approved the Downtown Riverwalk Specialty Center in 2024, covering both stretches of the Riverwalk, with the same 16-ounce container limit and the same Friday-Saturday-versus-weekday hour split now proposed for Pearl Square, according to the Daily Record’s reporting.
A Billion-Dollar Backdrop Downtown
Pearl Square sits at the center of Gateway Jax, a mixed-use project the Daily Record describes as valued at more than $750 million, though other project materials put the overall development at $1 billion spanning nine city blocks, according to dtjax.com. Separate reporting from oftmw.com describes a master plan covering more than two million square feet, with over 1,250 residential units, 100,000 square feet of office space and more than 200,000 square feet of retail and dining space once the project is built out. Gateway Jax is a partnership between CEO Bryan Moll, JWB Real Estate Capital and DLP Capital, per the Daily Record…