Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Obtaining Special Liquor Licenses in Florida



Last post we touched on the common types of liquor licenses sold in Florida, but what happens if you're not interested in opening a restaurant, convince store, or night club, yet still want to sell alcohol? Are you still a little fuzzy on what applies to you and what doesn't apply to you? Do you even need a liquor license for your particular situation? Hopefully this article will help you find out what you need or set you off in the right direction to do further research. 

For the most part obtaining a liquor license is pretty straightforward, but just knowing which one is best for your particular situation can take a little time to research, figure out, and decide. As mentioned in the previous post, there are roughly 36 permits and liquor licenses business owners can choose from, so it can definitely feel overwhelming knowing that you have almost 'too many' options available. 

The Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT) is the branch responsible for overseeing licensure for all liquor in Florida state. They are in charge of enforcing the law and regulation of both the alcohol beverage and tobacco industry. This means they are in charge of licenses, collections, fees, and can even audit your taxes if they suspect something is not in compliance with the law.  

So if you have a problem with your license or happen to get the wrong one for your unique situation, you'd be the first one to know about it from the ABT branch. Before you do heavy paperwork and pay for anything, make sure you confirm with them that your license is correct for the kind of business you want to do. Save yourself the trouble by asking the questions now! 

If you're a professional caterer looking to obtain a license to serve alcohol at a venue, then you're business must meet certain requirements before you can do that. Similar to restaurants looking to acquire a liquor license, 51% of the caterer's income must be from the sale of non-alcohol items. This means the primary focus of your business should be food and soft drinks. Also, all alcohol you plan to serve must be bought from a licensed vendor, so make sure you have done a little bit of due diligence before you start the process. 

There are licenses specifically for theme parks, golf courses, special events, music festivals, local municipal properties, and more. The good news is, obtaining a license for these special kinds of situations may actually be less complicated than obtaining a more common license for a bar or club. If you're not 100% which one you qualify under, then please check out the ABT website and look through the necessary requirements that apply for your particular situation. 


We are a liquor license brokerage company, so if you have any questions in regards to how you can obtain a quota-based license, we'd be more than happy to help make the connection with another business owner looking to sell their current license. 

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