Universal bans hundreds of underage drinkers during Horror Nights Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
October 23, 2008
Not one sip.
That's Universal Orlando's policy toward underage drinking -- a zero-tolerance stance that is getting hundreds of people banned from the resort this month during its annual Halloween Horror Nights festival, which takes place evenings every weekend.
Robert Viands of Plantation learned the hard way Saturday after he bought an alcoholic "Jell-O shot" from a roaming vendor -- then let his 17-year-old daughter, Ashley, have a taste. He said the two of them and his daughter's friend, Sergio Jacas, 18, were quickly escorted out of the park and given trespass warnings that prevent their return.
"We have an aggressive zero-tolerance approach to underage drinking. It's against the law, and it's unsafe and we take it very seriously," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder explained -- even if it's just a sip. "We make no exceptions."
Last Friday and Saturday, Universal kicked out at least 127 people for underage drinking, underage possession of alcohol or providing alcohol to a minor. Many more may have been ejected; Orlando police, in releasing those trespass reports to the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday, noted that paperwork was not yet finished for about half of all the Universal trespass cases from last weekend.
Halloween Horror Nights is particularly popular with teenagers and young adults, and beer and stronger booze are sold by street vendors during the event.
Schroder insisted vendors carefully check patrons' identification cards. He would not comment on specific arrangements, but resort security and police are known to watch the crowd closely.
How warnings work
When someone is issued a trespass warning, there is no immediate criminal offense, provided the person leaves peacefully. However, if someone returns before the warning's expiration date, that person can be arrested and charged with either a first- or second-degree misdemeanor, depending on the circumstances. Universal's warnings cover the entire resort property, including its three resort hotels.
"They obviously have a beverages license they want to protect," said Sgt. Barbara Jones, an Orlando Police Department spokeswoman. "It's private property."
Normally, a person is banished for one year. Viands said he was afraid he, his daughter and Jacas were about to be arrested Saturday night, so he refused to cooperate fully -- and wound up being banned from the resort for life.
He said he's writing to Universal higher-ups to appeal the lifetime ban, but he also complained that even the one-year banishment imposed on his daughter and Jacas was too much, considering all that happened was that he let his own daughter taste his drink.
'It's a lose-lose'
"It's a lose-lose for all involved. We go there all the time, stay in the hotels, spend money. We're not bad people. They're kicking out good people as well as the bad," Viands said. "It's not like we're teenagers who would go there and get drunk and start a fight."
Police and Universal security stay busy during the resort's annual Halloween event, which is a separate, nighttime admission. In addition to those kicked out for underage drinking last weekend, at least 69 other visitors were "trespassed" for other reasons, ranging from public urination to marijuana possession. Some were tossed for fighting, shoplifting or even line jumping.
Among the trespass warnings obtained by the Sentinel, 115 cited underage drinking or alcohol possession, while 12 targeted people age 21 or older -- such as Robert Viands -- who provided alcohol to a minor. The vast majority of those issued warnings were white, and most were from out of town, most typically from South Florida or the Tampa Bay area.
The youngest person busted for underage drinking was a Parkland teen several months shy of his 15th birthday. The oldest was a man from Ormond Beach who was just a week from Florida's legal drinking age of 21.
Orlando lawyer Jon Gutmacher said he gets many calls from people seeking his help after receiving trespass warnings at Universal or Walt Disney World.
He said there's not much he can do, beyond recommending that the person write the resort a nice letter seeking mercy, as Viands plans to do.
"It's insane," he said. "Unfortunately, the way the statutes are written, you can trespass anybody you don't want on your property."
Universal's zero-tolerance policy for underage drinking is not limited to Halloween Horror Nights.
Banished for life
Kathy Sherback, 47, of Tampa said she, her then-18-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter were banished for life from Universal's CityWalk dining district Sept. 5 after security saw her son holding her margarita.
That case led to criminal charges when the Sherbacks' encounter with Universal security and Orlando police became heated and turned into a physical confrontation.
But it all started, she said, when she handed her drink to her son to hold while she fished around in a bag she was carrying.
As far as I am concerned, a zero tolerance policy is a zero tolerance policy. I see kids all the time in an inebriated state because of events like this, or college, or you name it. The law is clearly spells out that you have to be 21 to drink. I don't see a problem with their policy. The instance in the end, was it a little crazy? Maybe, but how many times at 18, did your mom or dad hand you their drink and you not take a sip or ask to take a sip? I did, and I am sure that we all did. So, there is probably more to this than we are reading. Also, why let this get to the point where it got physical? That was stupid on the families part, and they should have just left when asked.
I wonder how is it that people think it's ok to have 'just a sip' out in the public? I see no problem in them banning people for being so stupid as to breaking the law, even if it's over just a taste. If you do want to give your kids that sip, at least do it at home where no one would get hurt or look stupid doing so. If they're going to be violent about being asked to leave for breaking the law, I think it's great to know that the next time I visit Universal, I would never have to deal with them again
Universal's decision to sell alcohol during the Halloween event does not mean they intend it to become a free-for-all. I'm sure the people ejected would be the first to sue Universal in the event that something bad happened to them or their children in connection with the alcohol being served.
And that last example? People who aren't doing anything wrong don't "get physical" with the security dude when they are approached.
Universal is definitely doing the right thing. They are upholding the law.
__________________ "We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it. "
William Faulkner
Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?"/ Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."
- Charles M. Schulz
errrrrrr we are not in Germany people. Get real it is against the law no matter what
But it is October, and HHN is a festival of all things creepy, surely there's no way people would get confused as to whether or not we live in Germany, right?
But it is October, and HHN is a festival of all things creepy, surely there's no way people would get confused as to whether or not we live in Germany, right?
Geez I knew I shouldn't have posted it been one of those days AP. I meant it Germany you can. I guess I was thinking (I know bad to do that) people wouldn't care.
__________________ "We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it. "
William Faulkner
Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?"/ Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."
- Charles M. Schulz
Here's another story where people think Universal went too far:
Quote:
started my day Friday October 12, 2007 with a seven hour drive to Universal Studios in Orlando, I encountered alot of traffic on I-75 (not Universal's fault). I arrived into town and got some gas, along with a couple of Sprites for my girlfriend and I at a local convienience store before heading over to the park.
I paid to park in The parking garage and parked my car. As soon as my girlfriend and I stepped out of my car, a bike security guard immediately approached us questioning our drinks that were sitting on the hood of our car. The guard asked "What are you drinking?" I replied "Sprite." The guard asked "Can I check it?" I said "No" (Because it is my constitutional right to not have my personal possessions searched without probable cause and I gave no probable cause. The guard was meerly stereotyping and profiling me because of my college license plate and attire.) The guard asked, "Is there alcohol in your drinks?" and I replied, "No, Sir, there isn't." The guard asked again, "Can I search your drink?" and I replied, "No you do not have the right to, however, if drinks are not allowed in the park I will gladly throw the drinks out or leave them at the car." The guard then said, "Come with me and we will discuss the matter further." After a few steps I said, "Go ahead search my drinks, I do not have time for this, I paid extra to get into Islands of Adventure from 4pm-7pm." The guard replied, "Oh, now you want to cooperate? No, you had your chance." From there the guard brought us back into a white tent, where he never even checked our drinks, but still proceeded to fill out two trespassing forms for my girlfriend and I; We were then immediately escorted out of the park.
I am a Florida State Law student and I know that the guard did not have the right to search my personal possessions. I can understand if we were on our way inside the actual park, but this was at my vehicle. I was meerly exercising my constitutional rights. My college football jersey and FSU license plate is not considered probable cause to search my property. I was polite and I was in the right. I did not sign any waiver of my rights before entering the park, nor did the tickets specify any such waivers. I incurred a financial lose due to that event. I paid $70 for gas to get to Orlando. I paid $100 for tickets, I paid $70 for a hotel, I had to pay $11 for parking, and I had to pay additional money to find something else to do that night, which amounted to $80. I am putting myself through college and my money is hard earned. I saved up for this trip for months. I am at a loss for words for how poorly my girlfriend and I were treated. The guard treated my girlfriend and I like criminals and harassed us because I did not want to give up my constitutional rights, and I feel that he illegally profiled and stereotyped me. My girlfriend was in complete emotional distress because of the event. I, myself, am very distressed and in complete disbelief that the event even occured in the first place.
My girlfriend and I were banned from Universal Studios in Orlando for the entire year for not waiving our constitutional rights. We were wrongly accused and illegally profiled. My family and I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars with Universal Resorts, we have gone at least twice a year for the last 15 years, and my family was planning to stay in the resorts for Spring Break 2008. My girlfriend and her family have also recently been annual pass holders for numerous years. I just cannot believe that your security treats people like that and I am afraid that we can never enjoy the parks as we once did. I already have had five friends change their minds about visiting the park after hearing my story and I am sure it will be passed onto others, as well. I just hope no one else will have that same experience.
I don't know what can be done to take this back. I just want a refund at least and to have the trespasses revoked.
So, what do you guys think about this case, do you feel that Universal has crossed the line, or do you still think they did the right thing, even if he only had Sprite in his cup?
I'd say yes and no with this one. I do think they did get a little extreme with the 1 year ban and he didn't leave the parking garage, BUT I feel they did the right thing by making sure that this guy wouldn't reek some havoc at the event like others would. Yeah, it's a sad world to know that some people only visit parties just to crash them and don't care what happens afterwards, or visit a theme park or any other place just to see how long it'll take them to get kicked out. This guy probably wasn't going to do anything stupid, just like many others, that is until they do something stupid and by then it's too late, which is what security would like to prevent from happening in the first place. The security guard did give him several chances to check his drink, and if this guy would have cooperated, he wouldn't be in this mess. I feel that he had something to hide while he was playing Mr. "I wanna fight the law and win" . . . Not!
I dont know the whole story only 1/2 of it. There most be a reason for the them to have asked them not just they are college students. Was it their driving into the parking area. I don't know but when we go to Parks we are their guest and have to follow their rule.
I have to agree with all who said Universal is in the right on their underage drinking policy. A corporation as large as the Universal Resort can be hit very, very hard with fines if state or local authorities find underage drinking on property. Losing their liquor license could essentially put them out of business. Many of the restaurants and clubs on property make the bulk of their profit on liquor sales to patrons.
Mr Viands may have thought it was okay to give his own daughter a sip, but what about her friend? I am sure Sergio was going to get a taste of the shot also. If Mr Viands was caught giving a minor an alcoholic drink here in NY, he would have been arrested, so being banned from Universal property is not as bad as the penalty could have been.
I am sure I am not the only one on the boards here who had a sip of champagne at 15 years old at cousin Susie's wedding, but the fact of the matter is, underage drinking is against the law, and Universal is required to follow it to the letter, or pay dearly.
The Law student is forgetting something. Once he is on Universal property he is on private property. It is within the parks rights to evict anyone for any reason. If he would have just let security check out the drinks he couldve have been in the parks having a good time quickly. One thing Ive learned about dealing with security is you be nice let them do thier thing and move on. Of course strip searches or the like are unreasonable but that not what security was wanting to do.
I know I could tell a difference at Universal Studios Florida when we were there for HHN 18. Less unrully drunks ment a better time. I like to drink sometimes when Im at the parks. I just dont get stupid.
I think there are some people that you should not pay $11/hr and put in a uniform. It goes to their heads. If they were a happy family, mommy and daddy and maybe two little kids and the same Sprites were present, the guard would not have stopped them.
The law student is in the right, and that guard should be fired.
I agrea that some people shouldnt be put in a uniform. That includes real coppers. It does look like parents with kids were treated in the same manner. The woman that got banned for letting her son hold her drink, the man that got banned for letting his kid have a sip. The student should have not pushed it and went to customer services onc in the park to file a complaint. He probably would have gotten more satisfaction that way. At least he would have been able to get in HHN.
I have to disagree with you, Glassman. Those were alcoholic beverages that those parents allowed their children to sip/hold. They were not Sprites. There is nothing illegal about a Sprite, so there is no reason to harass people over having them. The security guard went overboard, and was probably profiling.
I have to disagree with you, Glassman. Those were alcoholic beverages that those parents allowed their children to sip/hold. They were not Sprites. There is nothing illegal about a Sprite, so there is no reason to harass people over having them. The security guard went overboard, and was probably profiling.
I agree that that security guard could have been a jerk. The point Im making is the student couldve been less of a jerk. He didnt win in that situation. Im not saying the security guy wasnt a jerk. All he had to do was let security check his drinks and then go complain to guest services and enjoy the night. Instead he tried to prove a point. He let his emotions cloud his thinking. He could have enjoyed the night and probably gotten some free express passes or something like that for being troubled. Instead he gets banned. What about his date? Think she wanted to fight with security then get kicked out?
The newspaper article states people werent getting banned until they resisted. He had a choice and he chose wrong. Dealing with a security guard in a private parking garage on a night were some people are trying to get away with breaking the rules is not the time or place to argue rights. Security gave him a couple chances to prove the drinks had no alcohal and he refused until it was too late. Sometimes you have to be smarter than the $11.00 an hour security guard.
What was the student going to do when he got to the bag search, refuse? Stateing it was againt his constitutional rights?
I agree that that security guard could have been a jerk. The point Im making is the student couldve been less of a jerk. He didnt win in that situation. Im not saying the security guy wasnt a jerk. All he had to do was let security check his drinks and then go complain to guest services and enjoy the night. Instead he tried to prove a point. He let his emotions cloud his thinking. He could have enjoyed the night and probably gotten some free express passes or something like that for being troubled. Instead he gets banned. What about his date? Think she wanted to fight with security then get kicked out?
The newspaper article states people werent getting banned until they resisted. He had a choice and he chose wrong. Dealing with a security guard in a private parking garage on a night were some people are trying to get away with breaking the rules is not the time or place to argue rights. Security gave him a couple chances to prove the drinks had no alcohal and he refused until it was too late. Sometimes you have to be smarter than the $11.00 an hour security guard.
What was the student going to do when he got to the bag search, refuse? Stateing it was againt his constitutional rights?
I have to jump in here and agree with this.
I am against profiling by overly egotistic minimum wage rent a cops, but sometimes it's better to take the high road and give in to the jerk with a fake badge and then go over his head with a complaint after.
If a person really has nothing to hide, then why act like you do?
I know the guy has civil rights, and I know he was probably right (to a point) about probable cause, and profiling etc. But he acted like someone with something to protect, and he sacrificed hundreds of dollars for pride and $4 worth of Sprite.
And we know it's only Sprite based on his word... I am sure to an outsider or to the rent a cop, it looked like it could be anything but Sprite, it's word against word until the guy proves it's only Sprite.
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Universal bans hundreds of underage drinkers 
