Florida Liquor License Application Requirements
The Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Bureau in Florida, or ABTB/ABT, is tasked with overseeing the sale of liquor within the state. This governmental oversight body enforces Florida Liquor Licenses relevant to the liquor and beer business sector.
The first of the two is known as a Quota Liquor License, which is a yearly license that applies to full-service alcohol establishments such as bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. This license is availed via an open lottery, which means only a few random full-time alcohol businesses are fortunate enough to get it.
The other ABT license, the Special Restaurant License or SRX, is also a yearly license that applies to restaurant businesses. To qualify, sales of alcoholic beverages should not exceed 49% of total annual sales. In addition to the Quota Liquor License and Special Restaurant License, the Florida ABT department also enforces 54 other subcategories of alcohol-related licenses.
Liquor License Application in Florida
The Florida liquor license application process requires an array of supportive documents. These documents include:
Business Registration Certificates
The first and most important document you need to have is a registered business certificate. Without this document, you cannot get a liquor license in Florida or any other US state. Fortunately, you can use any one of several law firms dedicated to helping entrepreneurs legally register their businesses. All you need to do is provide business-specific details and pay the required service fees.
Zoning Approval Certificate
City planners often zone out entire cities to ensure optimal use of available space and shared resources within different locales. Consequently, obtaining a license for a liquor business in a residential zone can be difficult because of zoning approval. To avoid this inconvenience, you should ideally locate your business within a zone demarcated for commercial activity. In this manner, it becomes easier for you to procure a Zoning Approval Certificate for your business.
Health and Safety Certification
In addition to zoning approval, your business also needs to be certified for compliance with local health and safety requirements. Establishments selling both food and alcoholic beverages get their health and safety certification from the ABT Division of Hotels and Restaurants. Other businesses in this sector, such as bars and nightclubs, get certified for health and safety compliance from either the County Health Authority or the local office of the Department of Health. You will be required to pay inspection fees and other charges before your business attains Health and Safety compliance. Fortunately, Liquor License Outlet offers start-up ventures the financial help they need at various stages of the Florida liquor license application process.
Federal Employer Identification Number
To make sure that your business is compliant with state and national tax, employment, and other sector-specific regulations, you need to have a Federal Employer Identification Number or FEIN. This number is useful when filing tax returns and when tracking employee contributions made to government social security funds. Furthermore, having FEIN streamlines the Florida liquor license renewal process. If you do not already have a FEIN number, Liquor License Outlet ensures you get one as part of a comprehensive liquor license service.
You might be required to provide a breakdown of shareholders in your business if it is not a sole proprietorship. This task involves coming up with a list of shareholders and their contributions to the business. Competent and experienced customer service staff at Liquor License Outlet can help you to prepare the appropriate shareholder documents.
Fingerprinting Identification Consoles
To curb illegal alcohol use among teens and effectively regulate alcohol consumption within Florida, the ABTB now requires businesses selling alcohol to install fingerprint consoles on their premises. Florida subcontracts PearsonVue for the installation and maintenance of these biometric identification systems. PearsonVue will install government-approved fingerprint consoles, after which you will receive a compliance receipt. You should also include this receipt in your application for a liquor license
Once you have compiled all necessary supporting documents, you need to mail them and your liquor license application to the ABT Licensing Central Office. Their postal address is 1940 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida. You can also call their dedicated customer service desk at 32399-1021.
