Clean Liquor License available for use in Lee County. Financing is available, call 239-205-4770 or stop by our office located at 2122 Victoria Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33901 for more details!!
Monday, May 15, 2017
Friday, May 12, 2017
Florida Welcomed Nearly 113 Million Tourists Last Year
Good news for Florida business owners everywhere! Florida
residents saw 112.8 million tourists visit the state in 2016. That's a 5.9%
increase compared to last year. We can see that Florida has been consistently
growing in tourism for six consecutive years. This is because we've been doing
great in our marketing efforts to attract tourists not just from within the
U.S., but outside of the U.S. as well.
This increase in traffic has caused a spike in tourism jobs,
which hit a record high of 1.4 million jobs. Businesses owners in the service
industry have found Florida's tourism marketing to cause a positive influx in
traffic to their business. There's a much longer lunchtime rush than ever
before. According to Visit Florida, 98 million domestic visitors came to
Florida last year, which is a 7.3% increase compared to 2015. Also, a total of
14.8 million international visitors came to Florida, and 3.7 million of those
were from Canada alone.
In a press release, Ken Lawson, the Visit Florida's
president and CEO said, “Six years of record-setting visitation would not be
possible without a strong global marketing strategy focused on maximizing the
economic impact of Florida tourism.” Now, although legislators have introduced
a bill that would cut Visit Florida's budget, this does not necessarily mean
tourism will take a hit as well.
On a worldwide scale, tourism is increasing and Florida will
not be held back by legislation to attract those visitors. In fact, it's safe
to say that next year it will be another record hitting high in the tourism
industry. There's been a lot money spent on marketing specifically to tourists
and that won't just disappear by a single bill being passed by
legislators. Business owners can rest
easy knowing that tourism will still be making a climb in the next couple of
years.
If you've ever dreamed about being a business owner running
their own bar or restaurant by the beach then now, if it's any indication, is
the time to do it. You will absolutely love the influx in tourists during
breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
If you want to apply for your liquor license, then feel free
to send us a message and we'll be happy to send along more information. We are
a license broker and can help you build that dream business you've always
wanted to create. As tourism is booming and as more people start coming in,
you'll regret that you didn't start this process sooner! Here at Liquor License
FL, we make acquiring a license incredibly easy. All you have to do is ask us
and we'll take it from there!
Liquor License Locators LLC
866-470-8881
info@LiquorLicenseFL.com
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Whiskey and Wheaties Bill Update
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/florida/articles/2017-04-26/florida-whiskey-and-wheaties-bill-passes-house-by-1-vote
Looks like the vote is in Please comment with your thoughts!
Looks like the vote is in Please comment with your thoughts!
Friday, March 24, 2017
Florida Senate approves bill to let grocery outlets sell hard liquor in stores
View Original Article Here
TALLAHASSEE — Floridians are one step closer to being able to buy whiskey, rum or vodka in a grocery store.
© 2017 Tampa Bay Times
TALLAHASSEE — Floridians are one step closer to being able to buy whiskey, rum or vodka in a grocery store.
Legislators passed the "whiskey to Wheaties" bill in the Florida Senate Thursday which will allow grocery stores like Publix or Walmart to sell hard liquor on the shelves next to beer and wine instead of in a separate liquor store with its own entrance.
Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, who sponsored the bill in the Senate (SB106), said that the current Prohibition-era law is "archaic" and called for passing legislation that is more relevant and convenient for consumers in Florida.
Senators voted 21-17 in favor of the bill.
"This was put in well over 80 years ago when Al Capone was still roaming through the streets," Flores said during a special order discussion when the Senate was in session Tuesday. "The question is, 'Has this outlived its purpose?' The answer we came up with in committee is: 'Yes.'"
The Senate bill, if put into law, would allow a retailer to add liquor to only a quarter of the stores it has in Florida in phases over five years. It would also prohibit stores from selling liquor within 1,000 feet of schools and require that miniature liquor bottles of 6.8 ounces or less, be stored and sold from behind a counter.
Gas stations that have 10,000 square feet or more of retail space and are already selling beer and wine could obtain a hard liquor license under the Senate bill. Wholesale retailers like Sam's Club and Costco are also included.
Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, made a last-ditch effort to stop the bill from moving forward, sparking a heated debate on the floor of the Senate. Lawmakers debated issues like whether this bill would make it easier for children to drink underage or what would be the age of clerks who could check out customers buying distilled spirits.
"I don't understand the rush or the importance of doing this," Latvala said. "People are calling us about health care and criminal justice issues and spillage at Lake Okeechobee. In the 15 years of being here, I've never had calls from people who tell me we need to make the purchase of liquor more convenient for me."
Latvala said big box stores who are pushing for the legislation, like Walmart and Target, would have the upper hand over independently owned businesses.
"When you're the major tenant in a shopping center, you have the right to control your competition," Latvala said. "If one of these big box stores comes into a shopping center and (they) don't want to have the mom and pop liquor store that's been there for 20 years anymore at the end of their lease, they won't be there."
The bill, which has surfaced many times over the last six years without success, has pitted retailers like Publix against other big box stores like Walmart and Target. Publix has lobbied against the legislation, saying the company has already invested heavily in its own separate liquor store operation which can be found adjacent to some of its grocery stores. ABC Fine Wine & Spirits and other independently owned liquor stores say if the bill becomes law, it would hurt local businesses.
But Walmart and Target lobbyists say it's good for consumers.
"This is something our customers want," said Jason Unger, a lobbyist for Target, which has 122 stores in Florida. "Customers have told us that they'd rather be able to buy liquor on our shelves instead of having to make a second stop."
Unger said that claims that this law would hurt small businesses are unfounded.
"In California, the largest state in the country, we (Target) have less than two percent of all liquor licenses out there," Unger said. "Competition is good for everyone. This is a good pro-business piece of legislation."
A similar bill in the Florida House (HB 81) narrowly advanced in a House commerce committee Wednesday. It's unclear if the bill will go to a floor vote in the House.
Both the House and Senate bills would require clerks to be 18 or older to checkout patrons purchasing alcohol.
"This bill was never meant to be so dramatic," Flores said in closing.
Monday, March 20, 2017
Whiskey and Wheaties Bill - Update
View Original Article Here
House panel approves liquor sales in grocery stores
Shoppers may soon be able to pick up a bottle of Jack just down the aisle from the potato chips and breakfast cereals.
At first glance, repealing the dusty Depression-era law that mandates liquor must be sold in a separate store, away from groceries, seems like an easy fix.
But on Tuesday, the House Government Operations and Technology Appropriations Subcommittee approved the bill by a razor-thin 7-6 vote, with and on both sides of the issue.
That reflects the vote in the bill’s previous House committee hearing, when it passed 8-7.
Despite the superficial simplicity, the so-called “whiskey and Wheaties” bill is one of the most heavily lobbied in the legislative session.
This is the fourth year in a row the Legislature has tried to repeal the law, which dates to the early 1930s and was originally passed in order to slow the reintroduction of alcohol into Florida in the wake of the end of Prohibition.
But those who want to keep the law in place argue that liquor and supermarket stores have created their business models under the current regulations and that they stand to lose out by repealing the law.
, a towering force in Florida politics owing to its employment numbers and heavy political contributions, is foremost among these critics, as many of its supermarkets already feature separate liquor stores and reconfiguring to integrate liquor into the supermarket would be expensive, though the bill does not require businesses to make the change.
Independent liquor stores have also lined up against the bill, saying that allowing liquor sales in big stores would be the death knell of their businesses.
The forces pushing for change are just as powerful — big box stores like Wal-Mart and Target, which contend that the current system is an inconvenience to customers.
The people and industries lobbying against the bill say it would increase alcohol consumption by minors. But the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Bryan Avila, R-Hialeah, disputes that.
“Thirty other states already allow spirits to be sold in grocery stores and there’s no evidence to support a rash in underage drinking,” he said. “The data has shown that most underage drinkers obtain alcohol from friends or family members who have purchased it legally.”
Nor did Avila find persuasive the argument that independent liquor stores would be crushed by liquor sales in big box stores.
“In several of the states that do not have a separation, such as California, Arizona, Nebraska and Missouri, big box stores hold less than 10 percent of liquor licenses,” he said.
But owners of independent liquor stores across Florida made the trip to Tallahassee on Tuesday to explain that security at their stores means less kids getting less booze.
“We take pride in making sure that my neighbors’ kids are not served in my store,” said George Knightly, who owns five liquor stores in the Orlando area. “They will get served over and over again in a grocery store because those cashiers don’t know them. It means nothing to them selling alcohol to a minor. It means nothing.”
The bill would create two kinds of liquor licenses. A Type A license would include traditional liquor stores that don’t sell groceries. Type B, which would be slightly more expensive, with the increase in cost varying depending on county population, would be for supermarkets and big box stores.
The bill has one more committee before going to the House floor for a vote. A similar bill has cleared all of its committees in the Senate but has not yet been voted on by the full body.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Update Regarding the Bill that Proposes Taking Down The Wall Between Supermarket and Liquor Store
Is House splitting the difference
View Original Article Here
Is House splitting the difference over the over the whiskey & Wheaties bill?
After the “whiskey and Wheaties” bill nearly whiffed in the House, a new twist was filed Monday evening.
A proposed amendment on the bill (HB 81) would create dual “liquor package store licenses,” with “Type A” licenses going to stores keeping a wall of separation between booze and other retail items, and “Type B” licenses going to those who sell liquor in the same general space as other goods.
Those getting a Type B license also must pay “an additional amount” on top of the annual license fee according to a sliding scale based on population.
The bill—sponsored by Bryan Avila, a Hialeah Republican—is set to be heard Tuesday by the House Government Operations & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee. Avila also offered the latest amendment.
For four years, various lawmakers have filed a proposal to repeal the Prohibition-era state law requiring businesses, such as grocery chains and big-box retailers, to have separate stores to sell liquor. Beer and wine already are sold in grocery aisles in Florida.
While the Senate version (SB 106) cleared all its review panels and is ready for the floor, this year’s House bill stumbled out of its first committee on an 8-7 vote, with its own chairman voting against it.
It was then temporarily postponed in the appropriations subcommittee earlier this month when it became clear it didn’t have enough votes to move forward.
Wal-mart, Target and others say tearing down the wall of separation between liquor and other goods is simply a “pro-consumer” move toward added convenience.
Alcoholic beverage retailers, such as ABC Fine Wines & Spirits and independent owners, have complained the bill is being pushed by the big retailers looking to expand their market reach. Publix Super Markets also opposes the bill, saying it’s invested in the separate liquor store model.
Friday, March 10, 2017
Keep a lookout for underage drinking. It is not worth a strike on your license!!!
 | |||||||||||||
The Bottom LineDepartment of Business and Professional RegulationMarch 10, 2017 | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||
To no longer receive the Bottom Line click here.
|
1
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)