House Closes Door On Liquor, Groceries Debate

April 15, 2015

A House committee slammed the door Tuesday on a proposal to relax an 80-year-old state law that requires liquor stores to be stand-alone facilities.

The Regulatory Affairs Committee voted 11-7 against the measure (HB 107), which would have allowed a door to be the only barrier between a liquor store and other retail goods. Wal-Mart and Target were among those pushing the measure as a way to increase convenience for shoppers. Target views allowing people to buy liquor with groceries and other goods as part of its business model, which includes a push for smaller “express” locations in downtowns. The legislative proposal was initially filed to eliminate the law requiring separate liquor stores.

The bill drew opposition from independent liquor stores, some county sheriffs and Lakeland-based Publix, which argued the company’s business model has been to separate its liquor stores from the main grocery operations.

by The News Service of Florida

Comments

One Response to “House Closes Door On Liquor, Groceries Debate”

  1. molino jimo on April 15th, 2015 7:07 am

    It would be interesting to see what would happen if beer and wine were also moved to a separate location.

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