Florida DBPR Opens Entry Period for Annual Quota

 

For Immediate Release

August 17, 2021

 Contact: communications@myfloridalicense.com

(850) 922-8981

Florida DBPR Opens Entry Period for Annual Quota
Beverage License Drawing
A total of 49 licenses are available in 27 Florida counties

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Yesterday, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s (DBPR) Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (the Division) opened the entry period for the 2021 Quota Beverage License Drawing. For the 2021 entry period, entry forms will be accepted until the filing deadline on September 29, 2021.

Quota beverage licenses authorize the holder of the license to sell beer, wine, and distilled spirits, either for package sales only or for consumption on and off the licensed premises, depending on the license series elected. The Florida Beverage Law limits the total number of quota alcoholic beverage licenses by county population estimates, authorizing the Division to issue no more than one license for every 7,500 residents within a county. Each year, the Division analyzes population data in Florida’s 67 counties, and if one or more of the licenses are eligible to be entered into the drawing, opens the drawing process for a 45-day period beginning the third Monday in August.

The 2021 drawing entry period will include 49 new quota beverage licenses available for issuance in 27 counties, including: Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia.

Once the entry period closes at 5 p.m. on September 29, 2021, the Division will process qualifying entries and announce the winners during a public drawing at a later date. Entrants selected from the drawing will be awarded the right to apply to hold one of the available licenses in the county from which their entry was selected. During the 2020 entry period, for which rights to apply for available licenses were recently awarded following the public drawing, the Division received more than 23,600 entries for 62 licenses in 30 counties.

Entrants can apply by using DBPR’s online portal to pay by credit card. To enter and pay by check or money order, applications and payment can be mailed or hand delivered to the following address:

Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco
Attn: Quota Beverage License Drawing
2601 Blair Stone Road
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1019

For more information about the Quota Beverage License Drawing entry process, interested entrants are encouraged to contact a local Division of Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco District Office or visit our website.

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The Department of Business and Professional Regulation licenses and regulates more than one million businesses and professionals in the State of Florida, including accountants, architects and interior designers, asbestos consultants, athlete agents, auctioneers, barbers, building code administrators and inspectors, community association managers, construction contractors, cosmetologists, electrical contractors, employee leasing companies, geologists, home inspectors, landscape architects, mold assessors and remediators, pilot commissioners, real estate appraisers and brokers, and veterinarians, as well as businesses dealing in alcoholic beverages, tobacco, food service, public lodging, pari-mutuel wagering, and condominiums, timeshares, and other cooperative residential arrangements. The Department’s mission is to license efficiently and regulate fairly. For more information, please visit myfloridalicense.com.

Follow @FloridaDBPR on Twitter or Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Facebook for important information and updates on matters relating to Florida’s business and professional licensing.
August 17, 2021 /  
Florida DBPR Releases Results of Annual Quota

 

For Immediate Release

June 29, 2021

 Contact: communications@myfloridalicense.com

(850) 922-8981

Florida DBPR Releases Results of Annual Quota
Alcoholic Beverage License Drawing
62 selected entrants from the 2020 entry period now have 45 days to apply for a license in the county where selected

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –Today, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s (DBPR) Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco conducted the public drawing for quota alcoholic beverage licenses available from the 2020 entry period. Results of the drawing are now published and accessible on the Division’s Quota Licenses and Drawings web page.

Quota alcoholic beverage licenses authorize the holder of the license to sell beer, wine and distilled spirits, either for package sales only or for consumption on the licensed premises, depending on the license series elected. The Florida Beverage Law limits the total number of quota alcoholic beverage licenses by county population estimates, authorizing the Division to issue no more than one license for every 7,500 residents within a county. Each year, the Division analyzes population data in Florida’s 67 counties, and based on the licenses available, opens the drawing process.

For the 2020 entry period, a total of 62 quota alcoholic beverage licenses were determined to be available for issuance across 30 counties, including: Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Clay, Collier, Dade, DeSoto, Duval, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sarasota, Seminole, Sumter, Volusia and Walton. For the 2020 entry period, 23,655 entries were deemed qualified for entry in the drawing.

Entrants selected from today’s drawing will be awarded the priority right to apply and qualify to hold one of the available licenses in the county from which their entry was selected. The Florida Beverage Law requires that each selected entrant file an application to qualify to hold the license within 45 days from the date of the Division’s notice of selection.

The 2021 entry period for the annual drawing process will open on Monday, August 16, 2021. More information about the number and location of available licenses for the 2021 entry period will be published in advance of the entry period opening date. Interested parties are encouraged to monitor information on the Division’s web page related to Quota Licenses and Drawings for further announcements regarding the 2021 entry period.

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The Department of Business and Professional Regulation licenses and regulates more than one million businesses and professionals in the State of Florida, including accountants, architects and interior designers, asbestos consultants, athlete agents, auctioneers, barbers, building code administrators and inspectors, community association managers, construction contractors, cosmetologists, electrical contractors, employee leasing companies, geologists, home inspectors, landscape architects, mold assessors and remediators, pilot commissioners, real estate appraisers and brokers, and veterinarians, as well as businesses dealing in alcoholic beverages, tobacco, food service, public lodging, pari-mutuel wagering, and condominiums, timeshares, and other cooperative residential arrangements. The Department’s mission is to license efficiently and regulate fairly. For more information, please visit myfloridalicense.com.

Follow @FloridaDBPR on Twitter or Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Facebook for important information and updates on matters relating to Florida’s business and professional licensing
June 29, 2021 /  
Governor DeSantis Signs SB 1966 and Advances DBPR’s Efforts to Improve Operational Efficiencies and Opportunities for Businesses

 

For Immediate Release

June 22, 2021

 Contact: communications@myfloridalicense.com

(850) 922-8981

Governor DeSantis Signs SB 1966 and Advances DBPR’s Efforts to Improve Operational Efficiencies and Opportunities for Businesses

Tallahassee, Fla. – Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 1966, that furthers the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s (DBPR) efforts to pursue regulatory reforms and operational advancements while also increasing efficiencies and levels of service for businesses and professionals regulated by the Department’s programs.

Senate Bill 1966, sponsored by Senator Manny Diaz and Representative Wyman Duggan, passed with unanimous support in both legislative chambers. With yesterday’s signature from Governor DeSantis, SB 1966 amends statutes within the Department’s jurisdiction by:

  • Exempting small, startup manufacturers of certain soaps, lotions, moisturizers and creams that have $25,000 or less in annual gross sales from cosmetic manufacturer permitting requirements;
  • Creating a 90-day, temporary permit to allow continuity of business and enable compliant business transitions after a change in ownership or change in location of a permitted drug, device, or cosmetic business;
  • Eliminating the supplemental fee for electrical and construction contractor applications related to the funding of construction-related research and continuing education, which are adequately supported by other existing fee revenues;
  • Allowing local registered contractors to obtain certified status after five years of experience;
  • Establishing clearer, more effective audit periods for businesses authorized to sell alcoholic beverages under a special food service license, including a staggered scale that reduces the frequency of audits based on the percentage of compliance from the licensee’s most recent audit;
  • Providing rule development authority for standardizing forms for condominium complaints that will enable more efficient review and resolution of constituent concerns;
  • Allowing the Department to establish the principal office of the appointed Condominium Ombudsman in a location of the Department’s discretion to support more effective organizational design and constituent services; and
  • Changing the name of the “Florida Boxing Commission” to the “Florida Athletic Commission,” a broader term that is more representative of the varied sports regulated by the Commission, which is consistent with comparable regulatory bodies of at least 34 other states.

“By improving the standards that govern our regulation of businesses and professions, we open new opportunities to improve the climate for those who are starting, relocating and expanding in Florida every day,” said DBPR Secretary Julie I. Brown. “With unanimous action by the Florida Legislature and the support and approval of Governor DeSantis, this package of DBPR’s recommendations enables a series of reforms that will enhance opportunities for businesses, improve agency processes and minimize regulatory burdens for multiple industries.”

For more information, view the bill summary highlights or the full bill text.

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The Department of Business and Professional Regulation licenses and regulates more than one million businesses and professionals in the State of Florida, including accountants, architects and interior designers, asbestos consultants, athlete agents, auctioneers, barbers, building code administrators and inspectors, community association managers, construction contractors, cosmetologists, electrical contractors, employee leasing companies, geologists, home inspectors, landscape architects, mold assessors and remediators, pilot commissioners, real estate appraisers and brokers, and veterinarians, as well as businesses dealing in alcoholic beverages, tobacco, food service, public lodging, pari-mutuel wagering, and condominiums, timeshares, and other cooperative residential arrangements. The Department’s mission is to license efficiently and regulate fairly. For more information, visit myfloridalicense.com.

 

Follow @FloridaDBPR on Twitter or Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Facebook for important information and updates on matters relating to Florida’s business and professional licensing.
June 22, 2021 /  
Florida DBPR Applauds Legislative Funding Approved by Governor DeSantis

 

For Immediate Release

June 2, 2021

 Contact: communications@myfloridalicense.com

(850) 922-8981

Florida DBPR Applauds Legislative Funding Approved by Governor DeSantis

Certain alcohol sales methods allowed by the Governor’s emergency order during the pandemic will now be permanent 

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation highlighted funding secured by Governor Ron DeSantis in the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget that furthers efforts to protect Florida consumers while increasing efficiencies and levels of service for businesses and professionals regulated by the Department.

“The sustained funding and support of the Department’s programs in the 2021-22 state budget is a continuing signal that Florida is equipped and ready to serve individuals and businesses who are choosing Florida,” said Secretary Julie Brown. “I applaud Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for making the funding of these important DBPR programs a priority this year.”

The Fiscal Year 2021-22 General Appropriations Act maintains funding for the core regulatory programs of the Department and strengthens investments in agency support services, including network security, law enforcement training and promoting Florida tourism. With the approval of Governor Ron DeSantis, the Department’s 2021-22 appropriations include:

  • Protecting Florida Consumers with more than $2.4 million allocated to regulatory initiatives for deterring and enforcing unlicensed activity in professions including accounting, real estate, and construction and enhancements in law enforcement training and equipment necessary to enforce the state’s alcoholic beverage and tobacco laws;
  • Enhancing Cybersecurity with additional resources for network and computer enhancements that underscore the security of the Department’s systems in providing electronic license management options to more than 1.4 million license holders; and
  • Highlighting the Sunshine State with an allocation of $1 million from the Hotels and Restaurants Trust Fund for a collaborative marketing program promoting in-state tourism to Florida residents.

For more details, view the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Appropriations.

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The Department of Business and Professional Regulation licenses and regulates more than one million businesses and professionals in the State of Florida, including accountants, architects and interior designers, asbestos consultants, athlete agents, auctioneers, barbers, building code administrators and inspectors, community association managers, construction contractors, cosmetologists, electrical contractors, employee leasing companies, geologists, home inspectors, landscape architects, mold assessors and remediators, pilot commissioners, real estate appraisers and brokers, and veterinarians, as well as businesses dealing in alcoholic beverages, tobacco, food service, public lodging, pari-mutuel wagering, and condominiums, timeshares, and other cooperative residential arrangements. The Department’s mission is to license efficiently and regulate fairly. For more information, visit myfloridalicense.com.

Follow @FloridaDBPR on Twitter or Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Facebook for important information and updates on matters relating to Florida’s business and professional licensing.
June 2, 2021 /  
Governor DeSantis Signs Bill Allowing To-Go Sales of Alcoholic Beverages by Restaurants

For Immediate Release

May 13, 2021

 Contact: Media@eog.myflorida.com

Governor’s Press Office, (850) 717-9282

Governor DeSantis Signs Bill Allowing To-Go Sales of Alcoholic Beverages by Restaurants

Certain alcohol sales methods allowed by the Governor’s emergency order during the pandemic will now be permanent 

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law Senate Bill 148, which authorizes restaurants, or vendors of alcoholic beverages also holding a public food service license, to sell or deliver alcoholic beverages prepared by the vendor in sealed containers. The bill extends additional sales options, commonly referenced as alcohol-to-go, that are similar to measures implemented by emergency orders of Governor DeSantis during Florida’s state of emergency related to COVID-19.

“Alcoholic drinks to-go became an important source of revenue for restaurants that were trying to survive during the pandemic,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “This law is an important measure to continue the positive economic impacts of a temporary order. I want to thank the Legislature, but particularly Senator Jennifer Bradley and Representative Josie Tomkow, for being ready and willing to create common sense reforms that got government out of the way and increased opportunity for Florida businesses.”

Governor DeSantis signed the bill at Houligan’s Sports Grille, an Ormond Beach-area restaurant that relied on the allowances of the Governor’s prior emergency orders over the past year as an added source of revenue during challenges associated with the pandemic.

“Alcohol-to-go has been a lifeline to our restaurants during the pandemic,” said Senator Jennifer Bradley. “Not surprisingly, this is a popular option for customers who want the restaurant experience when ordering to-go. As we emerge from the pandemic, this option that has helped our restaurants survive financially should be permanent. Thank you to Governor DeSantis for signing this important legislation to do just that and support our hardworking restaurant industry and its customers.”

“Some of the hardest hit businesses throughout the pandemic have been our local restaurants,” said Representative Josie Tomkow. “Through the proactive leadership of Governor DeSantis and his executive order to allow the sale of alcohol-to-go, many Florida restaurants were able to increase sales and continue to keep their doors open. I’m thankful to the Governor for his support of this common-sense measure that allows for restaurants to continue to offer alcohol-to-go as an option. This pro-consumer, business-friendly bill will help support our restaurant industry and its tens of thousands of employees.”

“I applaud Governor DeSantis on signing this historic piece of legislation that will greatly benefit our bar and restaurant license holders throughout the state,” said DBPR Secretary Julie I. Brown. “The law allows businesses to meet customer needs by providing the ability and convenience of serving alcohol-to-go, and I am pleased that Florida is actively adapting to meet the evolving customer and business needs in the industry.”

Under Senate Bill 148, an eligible vendor that sells or delivers alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption must hold a public food service license, ensure the sale or delivery of alcoholic beverages is accompanied by the sale of food in the same order, and comply with sealing and packaging requirements established in the bill. The vendor, or the agent or employee of the vendor making the delivery, is also responsible for verifying and documenting valid proof of the recipient’s identity and age at the time of delivery pursuant to provisions of Florida’s Beverage Law regarding deliveries.

“Florida’s restaurants were some of the businesses hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Carol Dover, president and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA). “With indoor dining shut down, our operators had to get creative at ways to keep revenue coming in and their staff employed. Thanks to Governor Ron DeSantis’ executive order, many restaurants were saved from closing through their ability to sell alcohol with to-go orders for off-premises consumption. With the Governor now signing alcohol-to-go into law, our restaurants can continue to count on this source of revenue as they provide excellent meals and beverages for their customers.”

The full text of Senate Bill 148 is available here.

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May 19, 2021 /