Looking to get a liquor license in Florida? Florida liquor license laws might be difficult to understand at first, but with the right help by your side, the process is often quick and painless. Before you apply for a liquor license, you should decide beforehand what license is the most applicable to you based on what kind of business you're planning on operating.
Florida's liquor license laws run on what is called a “three tier system”. Florida's three tier system means that license holders many only obtain licenses from one of the three tiers in the system, with the exception of wineries; who can hold a license in more than one tier.
The three tiers in the system are: Manufacturer, distributor, or vendor. The definition of each tier is straight forward. If you manufacture alcohol, you must have a manufacturer license. If you are a distributor, you will need a distributor license in order to purchase alcohol from the manufacturers and be able to sell alcohol to the retail vendors as well. If you get a vendor license, this license allows you to sell alcoholic drinks to consumers 21 years of age or older.
Now that you are aware of the three types of tiers available, you should ask detailed questions about what kind of business you're planning to open. For the sake of this article, we'll be focused on the retail vendor tier. Do you plan to sell alcohol for a limited time only, such as a one-day event, or do you plan to sell it on an ongoing basis? Will you be opening a cafe? A restaurant? How about a bar or a nightclub?
Do you want alcohol to be consumed only inside your premises? Do you have any outdoor spaces? Would you like your customers to take away alcohol? These are all important questions to answer, because there are several different vendor licenses available depending on the kind of business you would like to open.
Unfortunately, Florida has a quota as to how many licenses they're able to issue out each year. This means it can take some patience to get a brand new license, which is why it's often better to purchase a license from a previous owner. A brokerage can help with the buy/sell process, because it focuses on connecting the seller with the buyer. If you're looking to purchase a license, check out our company, http://www.liquorlicensefl.com/. We can help bridge the gap between finding the right seller anywhere in Florida state.
It should be noted that in the state of Florida, a person who has been convinced within the past five years for soliciting prostitution, letting premises for prostitution, keeping a disorderly place, controlled substance abuse, or any criminal violation will not be able to acquire a liquor license. The same thing would apply to an individual who was convicted of a felony in the United States in the last 15 years. They will also be unable to hold a liquor license.