Florida Bill could allow grocery stores to sell liquor

Have you ever wanted to buy some nachos, salsa and a bottle of vodka in a single trip? This could all become possible in the near future, as lawmakers are debating the possibility of introducing a law that allows drug and grocery stores to sell hard liquor alongside other products. These days grocery stores can sell alcoholic beverages, but only in a different part of the store, with a separate entrance. Basically, you do not have to leave the parking lot, but you do have to enter a different store and wait in a different line to buy a bottle of vodka or whiskey. This law has been discussed for years and lawmakers have tried for a long time to come up with a solution and help the local businesses develop, by allowing them to sell alcoholic beverages. Since the Florida law requires the three-tier distribution system where producers can only sell their product to wholesalers, which in turn can only sell it to retailers, breweries cannot have their own stores from which to sell directly to their customers. While there is that exception that allows tap rooms for tourism purposes, if they were to be able to sell their product directly to their customers, stores such as Publix, Walmart and Target could also sell liquor. Even though the alcohol laws in Florida are finally starting to change, with the 64 ounce beer growlers being so close to becoming legal, there is still much work to be done and this law is certainly something that could change the entire industry. The bill did pass the first committee in February this year, but not without disputes, with three country sheriffs that opposed it openly. Sheriffs are concerned that ones this bill is passed, there will be an increasing number of thefts and underage drinking because of the accessibility of alcohol. In fact, Publix itself, Florida’s largest grocery chain opposed this law, saying that the alcohol should remain with a separate entrance. In fact, it is quite common to see a grocery store at one end and a liquor store at the other, although most of the times, the two are independently owned. This is why so many actually oppose this law, as many people might lose their businesses in the favor of large grocery chains. The question remains though, what is best for the large consumer and how can alcohol laws be improved? Even though the liquor laws of the state of Florida are considered to be quite liberal compared to other states, there are still many things that can be done. Alcohol can be sold on Sundays in this state and municipalities can choose to allow liquor stores to be opened until 3 a.m. This law does have some controversy attached to it and even though these are many that oppose it, there are even more people who back it up and hope to be able to buy alcohol from their local grocery stores in the near future. LiquorLicenseFL.com 239-205-4770