Who can delivery beer, wine, and distilled spirits directly to the homes of Florida customers? See the following summary chart and the explanations below. Florida Breweries Cannot Deliver Alcohol to Customers’ Homes While certain breweries are allowed by Florida law to sell alcoholic beverages to customers, breweries are specifically prohibited from delivering alcohol away from their licensed taproom or...
Continue ReadingThe end of the federal Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA) on December 31, 2020 would mean big excise tax increases for small manufacturers. What is the CBMTRA and Where is It Going? The CBMTRA was passed along with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The federal law made changes to the US Tax Code...
Continue ReadingOne of the greatest challenges to opening or expanding an alcoholic manufacturing plant–whether brewery, winery, or distillery–is complying with local zoning ordinances. While many Florida communities have enacted specific craft beverage ordinances, most have not. As a result, getting that all-important zoning approval for a new or amended alcohol manufacturing or retail license can pose a time and cost...
Continue ReadingDtC Sales of Alcohol are Promising but Hard to Manage Popularity of the Direct-to-Consumer (DtC) sales model is at an all-time high, in the alcoholic beverage industry and many others. The DtC model allows manufacturers and brand owners to sell (and often deliver) directly to consumers, bypassing traditional distribution and retail sales channels. Particularly in light of the COVID-19...
Continue ReadingMany Florida alcohol vendors can make home deliveries, but not breweries and distilleries.
Continue ReadingMost of the activities provided by Florida’s alcoholic beverage industry are “essential services” under the governor’s “Safe at Home” order.
Continue ReadingForce Majeure: It’s Out of Control “Force majeure” is one of those legal terms that might be hard to explain (and spell), but you know it when you see it. The term literally means “superior force,” but it has come to mean any extraordinary event that is beyond the control of contracting parties. Force majeure events might include acts...
Continue ReadingThe laws concerning craft distilleries was updated in 2021. As a result, this blog post no longer reflects current Florida law. For the latest, see: 2021 FLORIDA CRAFT DISTILLERIES LAW: GENERAL OVERVIEW. Federal and Florida laws make it hard for all alcoholic beverage manufacturers to operate and thrive. But the regulatory landscape is particularly hard for Florida distilleries. Here are...
Continue ReadingManufacturing beer, wine, and distilled spirits involves a surprising amount of paperwork. From monthly production reports to fictitious name renewals every 5 years, there’s a lot of deadlines to keep track of. We’ve created an information sheet to help. Filing Deadlines for Florida Beverage Manufacturers is a simple chart of the deadlines of the most common production reports, tax...
Continue ReadingThe 2020 Session of the Florida Legislature will include consideration of a number of bills affecting breweries, wineries, distilleries, and consumers.
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