Florida Beverage Legislation: 2019 Pre-Session Review of Beverage Bills
The 2019 Session of the Florida Legislature will include consideration of a number of bills affecting breweries, wineries, distilleries, distributors, and consumers.
The 2019 regular session of the Florida Legislature kicks off Tuesday, March 5, 2019. This 2-month session will see the consideration of a number of bills that could affect the Florida beverage industry as soon as July.
The following chart provides a summary of this session’s beverage-focused bills. We’ll check back in on the status of these bills at end of the session.
Requires dealers and consumers to pay a deposit fee for specific beverage containers, including alcoholic beverage cans, glasses, and kegs
Authorizes deposit refunds to be paid by the vendor or redemption centers that are registered with the Florida Department of Revenue
2/15/2019 Senate – Referred to Environment and Natural Resources; Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations
Requires dealers and consumers to pay a deposit fee for specific beverage containers, including alcoholic beverage cans, glasses, and kegs
Authorizes deposit refunds to be paid by the vendor or redemption centers that are registered with the Florida Department of Revenue
2/28/2019 House – Referred to Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee
Authorizes a brewery to transfer to its licensed facility certain malt beverages that are brewed by another manufacturer
Authorizes a brewery to terminate a contract with a distributor under certain circumstances.
Revises requirements relating to distributors’ warehouse inventory and sales
Provides an exception to the come-to-rest requirement for certain deliveries made by specified manufacturers
Deletes a prohibition on manufacturers with a vendor’s license making certain deliveries, etc.
2/28/2019 House – Referred to Business and Professions Subcommittee; Government Operations and Technology Appropriations Subcommittee; Commerce Committee
Authorizes a craft distillery to hold multiple vendor’s licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages
Permits craft distilleries to conduct tastings and sell distilled spirits at fairs, trade shows, and festivals
Authorizes certain craft distilleries to transfer distilled spirits to its vendor’s licensed premises, to be licensed as distributor, to conduct spirituous beverage tastings at specified licensed premises
