Miami extends outdoor dining program for next several months of pandemic
Miami has extended a program allowing restaurants to expand outdoor seating, a measure meant to help eateries serve more tables during coming months of the still-raging pandemic.
The city will permit restaurants to maintain seating on sidewalks, repurposed parking spaces and closed streets. The expanded regulations allow restaurants to serve more customers while still adhering to social-distancing requirements.
Originally set to expire Jan. 31, the program was extended until Sept. 30 after a unanimous approval from Miami commissioners Thursday. The extension was sponsored by Commissioners Manolo Reyes, Joe Carollo and Ken Russell.
Businesses whose primary use before the pandemic was to serve food — not bars that serve food — are eligible to have more outdoor seating. The additional permissions come with no extra fees for owners, but proprietors must pay for any barricades or delineators necessary to create a safe outdoor dining space on an unused roadway.
Business owners can find more information on the city’s website at www.miamigov.com/Government/Stand-Up-Miami in the “reopening and city services” section.
