Florida Legislature Passed Two Bills Affecting the Beverage Laws The 2023 session of the Florida Legislature featured 3 pairs of companion bills proposing to change Florida’s alcoholic beverage laws. Two of the pairs passed both houses of the Florida Legislature and are now on their way for signature by the governor. The other pair of bills did not get...
Continue ReadingThe 2023 Session of the Florida Legislature will include consideration of a number of bills affecting breweries, wineries, distilleries, retailers and consumers. The 2023 regular session of the Florida Legislature kicks off Tuesday, March 7, 2023. This 2-month session will see the consideration of a number of bills that could affect the Florida beverage industry as soon as July....
Continue ReadingIn Florida, it’s common for beer suppliers and distributors alike to speak in terms of the appointment of a supplier’s exclusive distributor. This is not technically accurate in the context of the Florida Beverage Laws. A beer supplier is not required to appoint an exclusive distributor for itself in Florida. Rather, a supplier is required by Florida law to...
Continue ReadingCraft beer festivals are tremendously popular in Florida. The multiplication of beer festivals throughout the state has caused the state’s principal regulator of alcoholic beverages–the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (the ABT)–to take a closer look at how beer festivals are operated. Like all activities involving alcohol beverages, Florida beer festivals are subject to a confusing web...
Continue ReadingThere are only so many hoppy, reserve, barrel-aged names to go around. This means that more and more otherwise happy, brotherly-loving brewers, vintners and distillers are taking aim at each other over company names and product names that may or may not be infringing on one another. Before deciding your next beer MUST be named Brewers’Law Lager, or whatever,...
Continue Reading