Students can still party like they're at the No. 1 or No. 2 party school in the nation - as long as they do it legally.
The Underage Prohibition in Alcohol Beverage Establishments Act, which went into effect April 1, prohibits bars and clubs that receive a specific number of underage drinking violations from admitting people under the age of 21 after 9 p.m.
But according to data from the first three months, no bar has exceeded the limit, said Commissioner Jeanna Mastrodicasa, who promoted the act in its planning stages.
"We've been seeing a lot more enforcement at the door," she said.
In the spring, the Gainesville Police Department trained bar owners and bouncers how to be stricter, she said.
Some bars ask for two forms of identification, use scanners to validate IDs or use black lights to confirm that IDs are not fake. The methods of verification are up to each bar owner.
But though early data shows bars have been doing a good job, the true test will come this fall, according to Mastrodicasa.
"Fall semester is always hard," she said. "It's football season, let's start there."
Matt Goldberger, former external affairs director for Student Government, spoke out against the act last spring, predicting that it would lead to more house parties with unregulated drinking.
He said the bar atmosphere creates a safer environment than house parties because it's ultimately harder for underage people to drink at bars and that all of the bars are on the Later Gator bus route.
Goldberger said it's good the act is working but is worth reviewing after fall.
Mastrodicasa doesn't predict any more house parties than usual, she said, which could've been the case had the city chosen to make all bars only 21 and up, an option avoided in the best interest "of students and the city of Gainesville."
She said she's aware that people are still going to party in Gainesville, but she said what it comes down to is making an effort.
"I know there are people whose IDs look just like another person, and you'll hear from friends where it's easier to drink and where it's not," she said.
GPD spokesman Keith Kameg said it's important to remember that drinking laws haven't changed, just the way they are enforced.
"If you're getting into UF, you're one of the smartest people and you know the drinking laws," he said.
Establishments with occupancies under 201 are penalized after more than five underage drinking violations in a 90-day period. Bars with occupancies of more than 201 will be penalized after more than 10 violations.
Officers won't patrol bars any more than they have in the past, according to Kameg.
"Picking out underage drinkers in Gainesville isn't the hardest thing to do," Kameg said.
