Beverage Law Professionals

04/30/2026

Step inside Ralph’s Stand Up Bar in Jupiter, Florida—Palm Beach County’s oldest bar—where fishing camp roots, quirky history, and a no-frills local crowd keep Old Florida alive.

04/28/2026

https://www.thestreet.com/employment/another-major-alcohol-distributor-rndc-signals-nearly-2800-job-cuts

The alcohol distribution industry faces consolidation pressures, which are impacting jobs amid restructuring.

08/15/2025

Important notice from the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services regarding Kratom

07/29/2025

NOTICE TO ALL H**P FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS from the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

If you are a retailer that sells any beverage or food product for human consumption that contains h**p or h**p extracts, you must have a retail food permit from the FDACS.

Effective March 13, 2025, all packaging must be child resistant. Enforcement went into effect June 16, 2025.

OF IMPORTANT NOTE:

1. A stop sale order will be issued if an FDACS inspector determines your products to be noncompliant. Placing them in a secondary child resistant container does not meet compliance. You will not be able to return or dispose of your noncompliant product until the administrative proceeding has concluded.

2. Beverage cans with pull tabs are considered by FDACS to meet the child resistant guidelines however that applies only to cans with one serving. If the can is printed from the manufacturer that it contains more than one serving, then the pull-tab product is noncompliant if there is no other child resistant device in place other than the pull tab once opened.

3. Food product packaging must be able to be resealed so that it meets the requirements of a child resistant container. Any product that does not meet that requirement is noncompliant.

Here is a link to a list of child resistant packaging resources:https://ccmedia.fdacs.gov/content/download/118770/file/h**p-extract-child-resistant-packaging-resources.pdf

This is the email correspondence that was issued today by FDACS"

"As provided in the Department’s Notices to industry on March 13, 2025, and April 3, 2025, Rule 5K-4.034, Florida Administrative Code, was amended and the changes to the rule went into effect on March 12, 2025. Enforcement of the new requirements commenced June 16, 2025. The new requirements for h**p and h**p extract for human consumption include a provision that packaging shall be child resistant and comply with ASTM International D 3475-20, Standard Classification of Child Resistant Packages.

The Department has received requests from food establishments to allow the placement of h**p extract products with packaging that fails to comply with ASTM International D 3475-20, Standard Classification of Child Resistant Packages in a child resistant package at the point of purchase. This method of “correction” will not be offered or accepted.

Secondary child resistant packaging for products that are in non-compliant packages will not be accepted as a correction. The immediate packaging for all h**p and h**p extract for human consumption must comply with ASTM International D 3475-20, Standard Classification of Child Resistant Packages as provided in Rule 5K-4.034, Florida Administrative Code."

07/16/2025

ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE AND TO***CO INDUSTRY

Subject: Discontinuance of the Cigar Wholesaler Permit – Effective Immediately

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Alcoholic Beverages and To***co, hereby announces the immediate discontinuance of the Cigar Wholesaler Permit.

Effective immediately, the State of Florida no longer requires a permit for the wholesale/distribution of ci**rs to licensed alcohol or to***co retailers. This aligns with current regulatory interpretations and removes the need for cigar distributors to obtain a specific permit for these activities. Entities engaged solely in the wholesale distribution of ci**rs to licensed retailers may now operate without holding a Cigar Wholesaler Permit.

All businesses currently operating under this permit are not required to renew or maintain this permit moving forward.

For further clarification or questions regarding this update, please
contact the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and To***co at [email protected].

Thank you for your attention to this important update.

Division of Alcoholic Beverages and To***co
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation

12/04/2024

Florida DBPR Charges Palm Beach County Man in $4.2 Million Dollar Fraud Scheme Targeting State Alcohol License Lottery
November 26, 2024

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) has filed charges against Rajiv Shashikant Shah, owner of Keshra Financial, LLC and #00001 Advanced Fingerprinting and Mobile Notary, for orchestrating a more than $4.2 million fraud scheme that manipulated the state’s annual alcohol license lottery. DBPR’s investigation revealed that Shah used 13,000 fraudulent entries over three years to secure at least 17 winning licenses through his companies. Shah then sold those licenses back to Florida businesses at a premium.

The quota beverage license lottery process, administered by DBPR, is intended to give fair access for establishments to sell beer, wine and liquor in counties with limited availability. Each year, applicants must submit an entry form during the application period, along with a $100 non-refundable fee. Applicants are limited to one entry per county to ensure equal opportunity, and entries can be submitted online, by mail, or in person. Once the application period closes, DBPR conducts a random drawing to select the winners, who are then eligible to apply for a quota license. The quota system is carefully managed to balance supply with county population growth.

Through fraudulent and deceptive practices, Shah prevented legitimate Florida businesses and citizens from winning quota licenses, diverting licenses to his own companies for profit. Shah failed to disclose financial interests in these entries as required and used fraudulent methods to represent his companies’ financial stakes in the entries.

The investigation further uncovered the following tactics used to manipulate the system:

Fraudulent Fingerprints and Misused SSNs: Shah’s notary company submitted identical fingerprints for multiple winners and misused Social Security Numbers (SSNs) that did not match the names on license applications.

Forgery and Control of Licenses: He submitted forged Power of Attorney forms that named an unknowing acquaintance, giving him control over the quota licenses without the actual winners’ consent.

Profiting from Fraudulent Sales: Shah then sold these fraudulently obtained licenses, receiving over $4.2 million from third-party businesses unaware of the fraudulent origins of the licenses.

With the support of the FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) and Attorney General Ashley Moody's Office of Statewide Prosecution, DBPR’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and To***co Complex Crimes Unit investigated this case, resulting in Shah turning himself in to the Department on November 25, 2024.

11/11/2024

In observanve of Veterans Day, our office is closed today, November 11th. As this is an official state holiday in Florida, all Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation offices are closed as well.

10/25/2024

"Southern Glazer's, the largest wine distributor in the country, just laid off 3000 people across the country," Ohio wine retailer Gregory Stokes said during a Zoom conference Thursday by the US Wine Trade Alliance. "They're getting rid of an entire wine division because of the slowdown in wine sales."

Story here:

The tight wine market has seen a reported shock reaction from US distribution giant Southern Glazer's. Read the latest wine news & features on wine-searcher

10/14/2024

For those of you who check ID's to verify age, original/renewal/replacement Florida driver licenses issued after July 30, 2024 will have an updated number and will no longer have the last two digits of the birth year as part of the license number sequence.

10/10/2024

An Important Message from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for Food Service and Lodging Establishments Following Hurricane Milton:

It is hoped you and your business fared well through Hurricane Milton. As you work to re-open your business, please take a moment to review some helpful guidance and resources below.

Visit the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Emergency Page at https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/emergency/ for official Emergency Recovery Guidelineshttps://www2.myfloridalicense.com/hr/information/documents/Emergency%20Recovery%20Guidelines.pdf and Boil Water Notice Guidelineshttps://www2.myfloridalicense.com/hr/information/documents/Boil%20Water%20Notice%20Guidelines.pdf , which provide important food safety information to consider when re-opening.

DBPR issued Emergency Order 2024-08https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/os/documents/DBPR%20EO%202024-08.pdf at the direction of Governor DeSantis in response to Hurricane Helene. In part, the emergency order allows food service businesses to operate temporary food kitchens by registering with the Department. The emergency order will also apply to businesses impacted by Hurricane Milton. Register a temporary food kitchen here https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/hotels-restaurants/licensing/temporary-food-establishment/

If your business sustained physical or economic damage, report it using FloridaCommerce’s Business Damage Assessment Survey here https://floridadisaster.biz/Respond/BusinessDamageAssessmentsSurvey

For emergency access to working capital, FloridaCommerce’s Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program has been activated to provide short-term, zero-interest loans of $50,000 for small businesses. Visit FloridaJobs.org/EBL for more information.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

Sincerely,

Steven Von Bodungen
Director
Division of Hotels and Restaurants
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation

10/10/2024

If your business was damanged due to the recent hurricanes in Florida, remember to first verify that your contractor is licensed to do the work you're requesting before you provide any payment or sign any contracts. You can verify licenses through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation at myfloridalicense.com.