County's open-container law expires

Because of an administrative error, Sarasota County has been without an open-container law for the past two weeks.

An ordinance prohibiting public drinking in the unincorporated areas of the county was adopted in 1996. No one at the county seemed to notice it expired Oct. 22.

The county commission is expected to approve an emergency ordinance at its Nov. 10 meeting that once again makes it illegal to drink alcohol on “any public right-of-way, public street, public sidewalk, public alley or public parking lot.”

The county’s municipalities have their own open-container laws in effect.

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected].