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Escambia Commission Approves Sunday Morning Alcohol Sales
February 18, 2021
The ban on Sunday morning alcohol sales in Escambia County is coming to an end.
The Escambia County Commission voted Thursday to approve an ordinance allowing retail alcohol sales seven days a week except between 2:30 and 6 a.m.
Currently, retail sales are prohibited 2:30 a.m. until 6 a.m. daily, except 2:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Sundays. An exception allowed sales on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key on Sundays beginning at 7 a.m.
“I proposed the language change, as right now, as we speak, some stores can already legally sell alcohol on Sunday mornings but the same ‘type’ of store, for no good reason, cannot sell on Sunday mornings,” Commissioner Jeff Bergosh said in a post on NorthEscambia.com. “This is currently based upon such store’s geographic location in the county. Stores at the beaches can sell, but stores on the mainland cannot.”
“This is backwards, discriminatory, and unfair,” Bergosh said.
There was only one speaker during Thursday morning’s public hearing on the ordinance. Larry Downs, Jr., who frequently addressed the commission on numerous topics, asked commissioners if the ordinance would be in effect this Sunday.
“Will this go into effect like this Sunday?” Downs asked with a chuckle. “I’m just trying to be the very first one at 7 a.m. at the Gulf Beach Grocery to, you know, to right this wrong,”
The ordinance will go into effect after it’s filed with the Florida Department of State, according to County Attorney Alison Rogers. She said the county has up to 10 days to send the ordinance to them.
“Larry, I’ll stick around after the meeting and sign it,” Commission Chairman Robert Bender said.
The new ordinance passed 4-0 Thursday, with Commissioner Lumon May out of the room at the time of the vote.
Comments
13 Responses to “Escambia Commission Approves Sunday Morning Alcohol Sales”
Old vet, read a little deeper.
I know what scot means. i Always set aside Sunday morning to buy my booze. Seems like I always forget you can’t buy it till 1 pm. I have a friend that would by enough on Saturdays to keep him going till Monday.
Show me in the bible where it says alcohol is illegal, you grip about alcohol use but you vote to allow people to freely smoke or consume marijuana which thereis no xxv pactztion of doing it but to get intoxicated while most drinkers do not intend to become intoxicated but drink to be sociable.
Thank you Commissioners
Previous commenter got it right! Some of us are early morning shoppers! Why should we have to wait to buy booze!
What Scott Dixon above said hits the nail right on the head!
Cuyon…l guess “they” got tired of picking up trash from trash like “us” who don’t have enough self respect not to throw it out!
Yea nothing like an ice cold beer or a pitcher of bloody mary’s to take the edge off a hard night of partying on Saturday …bloody mary’s for everyone…
Let the drunks rejoice !!
Thank goodness the 70’s has finally ended with this worthless ordinance.
Now we can get even more trash on the side of roads. Has anyone noticed the trash littering the sides of Hwy.97 and Hwy.29 around the Molino area. When did they stop picking up trash on the roadways?
So we go to church!!! Then go buy alcohol!!!! WOW that’s what’s wrong with this world!!!!
Finally, some common sense! Thank you, commissioners. I appreciate Chairman Bender’s enthusiasm. So many times we’ve gone shopping after church on Sundays and gotten up to the front with our groceries and wine/beer only to be told that it’s not 1pm yet. It was pointless, so I’m glad it’s been corrected. Now, if we could just get the state to allow liquor sales in grocery stores, I wouldn’t have to make an extra stop.