JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Special tents were set up Saturday with full bars on every corner alongside the Landing's restaurants and bars, and there were also advertisements for alcohol on almost every single wall.
Everyone was encouraged to drink responsibly on Saturday and bars at the Landing were telling people under 21 not to even think about it.
Fionn MacCool's is one of the restaurants in the Landing and the general manager said his staff was immediately trained on underage drinking, and properly checking IDs as soon as they are hired.
On top of that, he said at least two weeks before Florida-Georgia weekend, all the restaurants and bars in the Landing got together with police and the Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco team for an hour presentation to prepare them for the busy weekend.
GM Paul Glaser said not only does underage drinking have consequences for those who do it, but it also can have a huge negative impact on his business.
"Selling it, I mean, the bartender and the server, they're going to get fined. They're going to go to jail. I could go to jail. I could lose my license, you know," said Glaser. "There's thousands and thousands of dollars tied into the restaurant or a bar that you're going to flush down the tube just for bringing someone in who's underage."
Another thing Glaser pointed out is that they had a one ID, one beverage rule. If you showed them your ID, you're only going to get one drink, so that will help prevent people buying multiple drinks and giving them to underage drinkers.