A liquor license is a must for any business establishment that wants to sell and serve alcoholic beverages to customers. This is a requirement in all states,although there are some which are stricter with implementation and have more conditions for obtaining the license than others. If you need to buy a liquor license in Florida for your new business, the tips provided below will help with the procurement of the license.
- Establish what type of license you need right away. You can consult the full list of license types and their fees online, or you can visit a liquor license consultant who’s completely knowledgeable when it comes to these important bits of information.
- Once you’ve decided to sell liquor at your establishment, take care in getting the license immediately. Processing can take half a year, which is a considerably long time. Of course, it can be shorter than that, but hope for the best and expect the worst when it comes to license processing, especially with all the new businesses in Florida that want to sell and serve spirits.
- Make sure that your business location is not yet saturated with businesses similar to the one you intend to launch. Also, it has to be zoned commercially and located away from schools, churches and other similar establishments.
- The person to get in touch with if you wish to purchase a liquor license in Florida for your business is the clerk of the city, village, or town where you wish to establish your business.
- Since there’s a quota of liquor vendors in the state, do look ahead and make sure you’re entered in the yearly lottery that grants liquor licenses to winning participants. If your business location is already saturated with liquor-selling businesses, the lottery is the perfect solution if you can’t get the liquor license you need the traditional way. The fee for the lottery is $100 – you best be ready to join before the third Monday of August every year. The lottery period runs for 45 days.
- When you get a liquor license, make sure you get the alcohol bond, too. These two always go together. The bond premiums vary depending on the type of license you’re applying for, as well as your credit score. If this confuses you a little, meet with a liquor license consultant who can properly educate you about this matter.
- You can also have a license transferred to your business. Be ready to pay 10 percent of the annual fee without the 40 percent surtax.