Protests underway after Jacksonville’s mayor signs bill to effectively shut down Internet cafes

Jacksonville City Hall (Ryan Nelson/Twitter)

By Sarah Thompson

Jacksonville, FL — Protests are underway after a City of Jacksonville spokesperson confirms that Mayor Lenny Curry has signed a bill that would effectively shut down Internet cafes in the area.

WOKV told you earlier this week, when the Jacksonville City Council voted in favor of a bill that would shut the businesses down immediately. The council had previously voted back in May to close the businesses, but decided at that time to give the operators until February 2020 to close their doors.

[ The city has said internet cafes are a nuisance and draw crime into the city. ]

[ Data collected in September 2018 showed that the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office received more than 28,000 calls to addresses tied to nearly 100 Internet cafes during a 5-year period. ]