Florida beverage license regulations

The sale of wine, beer and other liquor is very strictly regulated by each state. As in other states, Florida has established a system by which the service and sale of alcohol are licensed. Florida state law also limits how many liquor licenses are granted and imposes punishments for violators. Under Florida law, licenses in every county will never exceed more than one license per 7,500 residents. However motels and hotels with less than eighty guest rooms can get special licenses if the county’s population is less 50,000. When the population exceeds 50,000 then they can receive a special license if they have one hundred or more guest rooms. Florida liquor licensing system encompasses three tiers of licensure - vendors, manufacturers and distributors. An entity is allowed to acquire a license for only one tier. Statute, section 561.14 states that manufacturers can be licensed only to make alcohol within the state. Distributors are permitted to buy alcoholic products and sell them only to vendors. Those vendors can then sell the liquor to consumers. Florida has a legal drinking age of 21 years. If a person sells, allows or offers alcohol to a person under the age of 21, that person is guilty of a second degree misdemeanor which is punishable by up to sixty days incarceration. Any person, who permits alcohol to be sold to a minor a second or subsequent time within one year, is guilty of a first-degree misdemeanor, which is punishable by one year in prison. A liquor license must be renewed every year and the cost of licenses can vary depending on the location of the license and the type of license issued. Operating any business, which retails alcoholic beverages, requires the acquisition of a liquor license. A retail license is administered by the State Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco, which employs a complex schedule of fees. The license fee will vary depending on the municipality or county in which the license is issued. The cost of a liquor license may also include costs incurred in finding a business with an available license, brokerage costs and transfer fees. To find out more about specific county license fees, please visit our site at: http://liquorlicensefl.com/Liquor-License-List.html Retail liquor licenses are generally classified by the liquor type which being sold as well as by the establishment in which it is sold. Liquor licenses must be purchased separately when purchasing a business without a license and the purchaser has to apply for the transfer of licenses and offer proof of eligibility before the licensing authority will issue a license. Current regulations are designed to protect the public from dangerous products and control the retail sale of alcohol.