BREAKING: Florida suspends drinking at bars

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has suspended on-premises consumption of alcohol at bars statewide, DBPR Secretary Halsey Beshears announced Friday, June 26, on Twitter.

According to Emergency Order 2020-09: "All vendors licensed to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises who derive more than 50% of gross revenue from such sales of alcoholic beverages shall suspend such sales of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises. Such vendors may continue to sell alcoholic beverages in sealed containers for consumption off the premises." 

The order also states restaurants may continue to operate for on-premises consumption of food and beverages at tables— as long as these vendors derive 50% or less of gross revenue from the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption.

The sudden news has local bar and brewery owners researching how this affects their operations.

“We’re checking with our attorney right and the city,” Crooked Can co-founder Jared Czachorowski said. “We have all the market vendors that have the food licenses, and we’re under the same building, so I don’t really have any info yet other than it all just kind of happened and we’re trying to figure out what it means.”