Fans beware — a single step with a Solo cup can take you from tailgating with friends to an afternoon with the Gainesville Police.
Gainesville, like most cities, has open container laws, which prohibit carrying any container of unsealed alcohol. This includes mixed drinks in cups, open bottles of beer and any alcoholic beverage with a broken seal, according to GPD.
Getting caught with an open container in a public place, including the street, sidewalks and public parking lots, can result in being arrested or fined. Students may also be reported to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs. This ordinance is classified as a misdemeanor.
Having an open container in the passenger seat of a car also carries stiff penalties. The only acceptable places for a re-sealed container of alcohol in a car is locked in either the glove compartment or the trunk.
Although the city has special ordinances for gameday in Gainesville, drinking in The Swamp is never allowed.
However, because UF is a wet campus, alcohol is acceptable at preapproved tailgate locations for those over 21.
Winston Akins, a geology senior, said the rules are common sense.
“You shouldn’t just be getting trashed in a public area where there’s probably people who don’t want to be in that environment,” said the 22-year-old. “They came to see the game because they have school spirit.”
Akins said students’ actions on gameday have consequences that extend beyond just their classmates, so Gator fans should be respectful.
“If they see someone who’s blatantly drunk and belligerent, they’re probably not going to want to come back,” he said. “That’s affecting their experience.”
A version of this story ran on page 4 on 8/30/2013 under the headline "Open container laws in effect"
