Legislature on track to tearing down wall blocking liquor sales

There is a lot of talk about walls these days. But while there is a national controversy over building a wall, in Florida the conversation is about a wall that is coming down. On April 26, the Florida Legislature voted to pass House Bill 81 — which would eliminate the walls stores are forced to build to separate shoppers from liquor displays. The only thing left is for Gov. Rick Scott to sign it.

It’s about time. These walls are relics of a Prohibition-era mentality that sees liquor as something that needs to be separated not only from regular groceries but also from beer and wine. It unnecessarily inconveniences consumers and defies common sense.

In the age of Amazon and Uber, consumers can have alcohol delivered to their doorstep. But when it comes to buying a bottle of liquor in Florida, customers are treated like they’re renting a dirty movie from a Blockbuster in 1995. And stores that simply want to provide customers with a better shopping experience find themselves at the mercy of legislators who don’t want to be seen as “pro-liquor.” But what about pro-consumer? A recent University of Denver study found that alcohol prices declined more than 18 percent and generated more than $485 million in cost savings for consumers in states that have similar laws allowing liquor to be sold with beer and wine in grocery stores.

In more than 20 other states, laws like these put grocery stores and liquor stores in direct competition, but each has found a market solution to being successful. While grocery stores concentrate on big brands, liquor stores have found a new niche by providing a far wider variety of products backed up by a staff whose scope of knowledge cannot be found in a grocery store aisle. This gives consumers options based on their needs.

Despite this, HB 81 has not been without of enemies: some liquor store owners are nervous about increased competition and some members of the Legislature felt it would compromise their community. Evidence from other states shows these fears are unfounded.

This bill won’t bring liquor to the shelves of every store in your neighborhood. It will phase in to stores over a five-year period, and prohibit any store within a 1,000-yard radius of a school from selling liquor. It also takes steps to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors.

The time has come for Florida to stand against special interests. The time has come to “tear down this wall.”