How can downtown Fort Lauderdale residents enjoy the Super Bowl experience without alcohol? They may not have to.

City commissioners are considering whether to relax local ordinances banning open containers of alcohol near the beach in anticipation of city-organized events celebrating Super Bowl XLIV Feb. 7 in Miami. One idea under consideration would allow alcohol to be carried in plastic cups near the beach.

Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom commented on the city’s open-container ban during a City Hall meeting Monday, saying she favored loosening the alcohol ordinances in an effort to boost city revenue.

“Bring in alcohol, and you bring in more money,” she said. “We’re doing these events for economic development.”

During a meeting in the Middle River Terrace neighborhood in September, Rodstrom said the current commission is “a new City Commission. We’re way into partying at the beach.”

At Monday’s meeting, Rodstrom echoed comments she made in September in support of city events that could bring residents and visitors downtown and create revenue for the city.

“If you’re having fun, you might spend a few dollars at a restaurant you like,” she said at the September meeting.

Mayor Jack Seiler told the Sun Sentinel in May that he, too, wants to loosen the city’s strict ban on open containers around the beach in anticipation of four major events on the calendar: the Super Bowl, the Orange Bowl, the Pro Bowl and the Boat Show.

Rodstrom mentioned the Boat Show as a major event, and said she was eager to move forward.

“We’d better hurry up and approve the Super Bowl party,” she said. “It’s a precedent.”

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