It’s no happy hour for foes of ‘liquor wall’ bill

Heavily lobbied measure advances

TALLAHASSEE — Grocery store shoppers in Florida could soon pick up vodka with their vegetables or bourbon with their bread.

The House on Wednesday passed a bill to end the post-Prohibition era requirement that liquor be sold separately from groceries and other retail items. The bill also allows liquor to be sold in gas stations of more than10,000 square feet.

The bill now heads to Gov. Rick Scott’s desk. His office said hewould review it.

The bill (SB 106) passed ona 58-57 vote and only after more than a hour of debate, reflecting its status as one of the most heavily lobbied measures this year.

Big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target have been pushing the bill for the past two years, but ABC Fine Wine and Spirits and independent liquor stores have fought it.

Publix, which has gone to

the expense of setting up separate liquor stores next to its main grocery stores because of the existing law, also is against the bill.

Rep. Bryan Avila, R-Hialeah, the bill’s sponsor, said the law requiring liquor to be sold separately, known as the “liquor wall,” is a relic.

“The only thing it does is it makes a law that was created in the 1930s in order to ease the sale of alcohol back into society after Prohibition — all it does is repeal that law,” Avila said. “That lawhas outlived its day.”

Opponents, however, argued it would allow people getting groceries to make impulse buys of hard liquor, increasing alcoholism and giving minors more access to liquor.

Rep. Scott Plakon, R Longwood, tried to amend the bill Tuesday to prevent stores from selling liquor if they hire clerks and cashiers younger than 21, but the amend ment was rejected.

“Let’s be honest about how we got here. The bigbox stores wanted more money. Who wouldn’t?” Plakon said.

Wal-Mart has given heavily to committees supporting several legislators and the majority parties, andone of its top lobbyists in Tallahassee, Michael Corcoran, is the brother of House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes.

Wal-Mart gave $50,000 to the Republican Party of Florida on March 6, the day before the start of the legislative session, and $7,500 to the Florida Democratic Party in September. It has also given $10,000 to Florida Roundtable, Corcoran’s political committee, and $204,000 to the Florida Senatorial Campaign Committee, led by Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, since 2015.

Publix and ABC, too, have donated generously to lawmakers. Publix gave $50,000 to Scott’s Let’s Get to Work political committee in January, and ABC gave $25,000 to the Florida Democratic Party during the 2016 campaign cycle.

The bill doesn’t take effect until next year and will be phased in over three years. Starting July 1, 2018, retailers that sell groceries will be allowed to sell spirits in 25 percent of their stores in Florida, rising to half their stores in 2019 and 75 percent in 2020.

The number of liquor licenses available will remain the same and will be issued at the county level at one per 7,500 residents.

Dozens of owners and employees of independent liquor stores throughout the state, wearing T-shirts opposing the measure, watched the House debate the bill Tuesday and Wednesday, They fear the bill will allow large retailers to eat away at their market share.

“Alot of us are going to go out of business,” said Mahesh Patel, owner of two liquor stores in Brevard County.

Advocates for large retail chains say they are simply responding to the market. Jason Unger, a lobbyist for Target, noted 31 other states don’t have the “liquor wall” requirement, and Target carries liquor in 15 of them.

“For us, itwas a matter of customer satisfaction and customer demand,” Unger said.

Independent store owners, however, are looking at Scott’s veto pen as their last line of defense.

“We would like to meet with the governor,” said Manish Shukla, owner of two liquor stores in Port St. Lucie.