https://www.ticketsa...-tasting-rooms/
Florida liquor stores and beer distributors are teaming up to challenge the way the state is issuing licenses that let craft breweries sell their products in tasting rooms.
This is what kills me the most: Breweries, and especially craft breweries, spend millions of dollars on equipment and labor to produce a minuscule amount of beer. The retailers and distributors can sell that beer for just about whatever they want, but breweries are forced to make very small profits on distribution and spend thousands more for the ability to package enough beer to stay afloat. Why should any other part of the industry have the right to control how you sell your product? That's ####ing nuts.
There is an exception in the FL law that allows for tasting rooms to promote tourism that was adopted in the 60's specifically because AB lobbied for it. Breweries are permitted to sell beer in a tasting room, BUT they still have to comply with every other local retail zoning and permitting laws that are applicable. In my county that means you have to be over 1000 feet from any schools or churches, in a manufacturing zone, and 250 feet from any residences. You have to pay thousands of dollars in public zoning hearing fees, you have to comply with FL laws regarding bars for fire suppression and safety, pay thousands in dram insurance, have the road paved and to code along with the proper parking spaces and ADA accessibility... the list is nearly endless. All that has to be done before you even sell your first beer. This also usually means the brewery isn't in a high traffic or populated area, certainly not in a normal retail area like the liquor stores are.
So you tell me why the #### should a brewery NOT be allowed to sell their product directly to the people that come in to drink their beer? They've done all the work, they pay ridiculous taxes, so that means they shouldn't be allowed to make a living, right? The only answer these ####wads can come up with is, it hurts someone elses bottom line because they refuse to compete by making a product worth drinking. So they sue. They have billions of dollars behind them too. It's really sad. David is definitely having to fight goliath.
I'm so pissed right now.