Underage drinking crackdown slated for Pembroke Pines businesses, cops say
The Pembroke Pines Police Department is putting a twist on Dry January with its latest campaign: an underage drinking crackdown.
City bars, restaurants and shops selling or serving alcohol can expect a visit from officers sometime between Jan. 26 and June 30 — the initiative’s runtime — as part of the Underage Drinking Environmental Program.
“The purpose of this program is to prevent and deter the illegal sale of alcohol to underage individuals, as well as the possession and consumption of alcohol by minors,” the agency announced in a statement released Jan. 12.
On the docket for the initaitve are regular “compliance checks” and “high visibility enforcement operations,” which police say identified 83 local businesses in violation of underage alcohol sales laws during last year’s campaign.
In 2024, the program saw visits to 143 businesses and discovered 72 of them breached the law, with police awarding 71 retailers for their compliance efforts.
If an establishment is found serving or selling booze to minors, the department says it’ll offer businesses the chance to attend an alcohol diversion program titled S.E.R.V.E — Sensible Education for Responsible Vendors and Employees — to avoid criminal charges.
Employees who provide alcohol to those underage could face “a second-degree misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of 60 days in jail and fines up to $500,” according to Broward-based attorney Richard Ansara.
The annual police campaign is a collaboration with the United Way Broward County Coalition on Behavioral Health & Drug, which focuses “on the prevention of substance misuse and the promotion of mental health.”
To accomplish its mission, the coalition brings together community stakeholders to develop prevention strategies and action plans — including the Underage Drinking Envrionmental Porgram — through subcommittees such as its mental health promotion and youth action teams as well as the Broward Youth Coalition.
Despite the multi-agency effort, Pembroke Pines police emphasize that parents remain one of the first lines of defense for curbing underage drinking.
“Parents and caretakers are asked to speak with their children about the health, safety and legal consequences associated with underage alcohol use,” the department says.
