Extended Cape Coral bar hours go into effect Saturday

Later bar hours become a reality in Cape Coral Saturday. The new ordinance goes into effect at midnight.

However, no bar owners applied for the special permit to stay open until 3 a.m.

The city council voted recently to let downtown bars stay open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, but not everyone is interested in the extended hours.

“I think it’s nice for some of our hourly employees who get off work around maybe 12. At 12 to 1 in the morning, they have a little more options for what they can do. Hopefully it’s not to extend the hours for people who have been out since 6 or 7,” said Phil Brittain, general manager of Big Blue Brewing in the Cape.