Breweries | Read Time: < 1 minute

Alcoholic Beverage Industry Participates and their Roles

There are a number of different ways for businesses to participate in the alcoholic beverage industry. To get the right federal and state alcoholic beverage licenses and permits, you first have to identify what role or roles your business will play. Alcoholic Beverage Industry Participation Profiles provides a table of common activities in the alcoholic beverage industry and identifies...

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ABT | Read Time: 2 minutes

Florida Guidelines for Third-Party Marketing of Alcoholic Beverages

In Florida, the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT) is concerned about violations of the Tied House Evil Law, which aims to prevent unfair practices in the alcoholic beverage industry. This law prohibits manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers from controlling local markets through payments to alcohol retailers and other unfair marketing techniques. The ABT has established guidelines for third-party...

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Breweries | Read Time: 3 minutes

Navigating Food Licenses for Breweries, Brewpubs, Wineries, and Distilleries

If you’re thinking about starting a brewery, brewpub, winery, or distillery, it’s important to understand that these businesses require special licensing for both alcohol and food. While alcohol has its unique regulations, it is still considered a food product by the primary food regulatory agencies. In this blog post, we will explore the requirements for obtaining food licenses and...

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ABT | Read Time: 3 minutes

Post-Licensing Changes that require Update and Approval

When you finally receive the necessary licenses to operate your beverage business in Florida from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT), it’s incredibly exciting and relieving. However, it’s important to remember that your relationship with these organizations is ongoing, and there may be circumstances in which...

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ABT | Read Time: 4 minutes

UPDATED: 6 Requirements for Florida Restaurant’s to Sell Beer, Wine & Liquor

Florida restaurants that want to sell beer, wine and liquor–whether at a restaurant bar or to seated customers–must have a 4COP-SFS (formerly known as 4COP-SRX) license issued by the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (ABT) pursuant to Florida Statutes Section 561.20(2)(a)4. Most recently, this law was updated by Florida Law 2023-65, effective July 1, 2023. To get...

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Florida | Read Time: 3 minutes

Florida Business Owners: You Need a Business Tax Receipt (Maybe Two)

Alcoholic beverage companies operating in Florida must apply for and maintain several federal, state and local government licenses and permits. One of the most common is the business tax receipt (BTR). Florida Counties and Cities Require BTRs for Nearly All Businesses The Florida Statutes generally authorizes counties and cities to levy a business tax for the privilege of engaging...

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ABT | Read Time: 5 minutes

Florida’s Temporary Alcohol Licenses: FAQ

Applicants for a Florida alcoholic beverage license–whether a manufacturing, distribution, or retail vendor license–can get a Temporary Initial License. What is it? What is a Temporary Initial License? A Temporary Initial License allows alcoholic beverage companies to get an alcoholic beverage license more quickly. As soon as the Temporary Initial License is issued, the licenseholder can immediately begin the...

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ABT | Read Time: 4 minutes

What Brewdog Brewing Tells Us About the Florida ABT’s Role

Brewdog Brewing Asked About a Flaw in the Florida Beer Franchise Law In 2020, Brewdog Brewing Company LLC (“Brewdog”) asked the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT) what the word “successor” means as used in the Florida Beer Franchise Law, Florida Statutes Section 563.022(16). At stake was whether would be bound to the distribution agreements that had...

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Federal Regulation | Read Time: 3 minutes

Making and Distributing Non-Alcoholic Beverage Products in Florida

There’s more to life than alcohol–there’s food and non-alcoholic beverages too. Florida breweries, wineries, and distilleries way want to expand their manufacturing to include non-alcoholic beverages. For example, they may want to product bottled or canned water. Non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits are also becoming increasingly popular. In addition, distributors that mostly deal in alcoholic products may want to...

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Florida | Read Time: 3 minutes

Florida Beverage Suppliers: Meet State Recordkeeping Requirement with 3 Record Types

Three Key Record Types Florida alcoholic beverage suppliers–manufacturers, broker-sales agents, importers, and exporters–are required to meet specific recordkeeping requirements under Florida law and regulations. These requirements are summarized below. Meeting these requirements is best done by creating and keeping to following three record types: Inventory Records should be kept and updated reflecting all products in inventory at a given...

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