DeSantis signs bill making to-go alcohol sales permanent in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill on Thursday allowing restaurants to permanently sell alcohol with takeout and delivery meals.

The governor signed Senate Bill 148, which allows restaurants to “sell or deliver alcoholic beverages in a sealed container for off-premises consumption if the sale or delivery is accompanied by the sale of food within the same order,” according to its text.

The bill allows for the sale or delivery of wine-based and liquor-based beverages prepared by restaurants and packaged in a container with an unbroken seal that prevents the beverages from being immediately consumed before the removal from the premises.

The new law takes effect July 1.

DeSantis lifted restrictions on alcohol to go early in the pandemic to help restaurants since they were forced to close their doors. As the state imposed capacity restrictions, alcohol to go continues under an emergency order that the governor signed.

The governor said at a news conference that the idea was popular during the pandemic.

“I’m excited about this,” DeSantis said. “If it didn’t work, it wouldn’t have worked and we would’ve admitted that. And I think it did. I think it was popular and I think businesses really appreciated it, and now it will be a permanent part of our state’s laws.”

The measure comes as the restaurant industry pushes to recover from the pandemic.