‘We are definitely leaving some people behind,’ officials warn after US city threatens to ban businesses going cashless

BUSINESSES in Florida are transitioning to cashless payment methods, leaving those who prefer cash in the dust.

As of January 1, the Arts Garage visual and performing arts venue in Delray Beach will not accept cash for tickets, beverages, or snacks.

The county-owned arena’s naming rights are held by Amerant, whose website advises patrons that there is no ATM in the building.

This trend is causing inconvenience for those who prefer cash, as well as lower-income individuals and older individuals who may not be proficient with app-based payments.

Others are worried that a cashless society may restrict personal freedoms if, for example, the government or the banking system uses technology to stop people from using their money as they see fit.

With this in mind, the Florida Legislature may ban refusing cash payments for most businesses in the future.

Legislation backed by state Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat from Miami-Dade County, and state Rep. Joel Rudman, a Republican from the Panhandle, could make it unlawful for most Florida businesses to refuse cash purchases in 2024.

“We are definitely leaving some people behind,” said Jones.

“Everyone, regardless of their financial status or their background, deserves to take part in our economy,” Jones said. “We have to understand that there are also people who are not able to participate in the economy if we are saying now that cash is not accepted. Where does that leave people who don’t have a credit card?

“In a time when many businesses have transitioned to electronic-only means of payment, we can’t forget those individuals and families who do not have access to electronic payment and rely on cash,” he said.

When cash isn’t accepted, Rudman said, “you are basically disenfranchising or cutting off entire communities.”

Marjorie Waldo, president and CEO of the Arts Garage in Delray Beach, said she believes that the new year’s move to cashless payments will improve the experience for patrons, reports Yahoo! Finance.

The venue can accommodate up to 200 people for a show with cabaret-style seating and 300 if seating is arranged in rows.

Waldo said Eliminating cash will make lines move faster and make things more efficient behind the scenes.

“It’s much quicker if it’s a tap or a swipe” than paying cash, she said

“It is easier for (cash) not to be counted by the bartender at the front end of the shift and at the back end, then verified by the house manager at the front end or the back end of the shift, and then counting by the leadership team, and then physically taken to the bank,” she said.

“It’s not difficult (to accept cash); it’s just a little more streamlined and easier and less time-consuming.”

Waldo said in the event a customer insists on paying with cash despite the cashless policy, “we’d find a way to accommodate them.”