561.17
License and registration applications; approved person.
Find cases:
SyfertCases citing this section
FL-LEGleg.state.fl.us
JustiaFla. Statutes
CornellLII Search
CasesGoogle Scholar
561.17 License and registration applications; approved person.—
(1) Any person, before engaging in the business of manufacturing, bottling, distributing, selling, or in any way dealing in alcoholic beverages, shall file, with the district licensing personnel of the district of the division in which the place of business for which a license is sought is located, a sworn application in the format prescribed by the division. The applicant must be a legal or business entity, person, or persons and must include all persons, officers, shareholders, and directors of such legal or business entity that have a direct or indirect interest in the business seeking to be licensed under this part. However, the applicant does not include any person that derives revenue from the license solely through a contractual relationship with the licensee, the substance of which contractual relationship is not related to the control of the sale of alcoholic beverages. Before any application is approved, the division may require the applicant to file a set of fingerprints electronically through an approved electronic fingerprinting vendor or on forms prescribed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for herself or himself and for any person or persons interested directly or indirectly with the applicant in the business for which the license is being sought, when required by the division. If the applicant or any person who is interested with the applicant either directly or indirectly in the business or who has a security interest in the license being sought or has a right to a percentage payment from the proceeds of the business, either by lease or otherwise, is not qualified, the division shall deny the application. However, any company regularly traded on a national securities exchange and not over the counter; any insurer, as defined in the Florida Insurance Code; or any bank or savings and loan association chartered by this state, another state, or the United States which has an interest, directly or indirectly, in an alcoholic beverage license is not required to obtain the division’s approval of its officers, directors, or stockholders or any change of such positions or interests. A shopping center with five or more stores, one or more of which has an alcoholic beverage license and is required under a lease common to all shopping center tenants to pay no more than 10 percent of the gross proceeds of the business holding the license to the shopping center, is not considered as having an interest, directly or indirectly, in the license. A performing arts center, as defined in s. 561.01, which has an interest, directly or indirectly, in an alcoholic beverage license is not required to obtain division approval of its volunteer officers or directors or of any change in such positions or interests.
(2) All applications for any alcoholic beverage license must be accompanied by proof of the applicant’s right of occupancy for the entire premises sought to be licensed. All applications for alcoholic beverage licenses for consumption on the premises shall be accompanied by a certificate of the Division of Hotels and Restaurants of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Department of Health, the Agency for Health Care Administration, or the county health department that the place of business wherein the business is to be conducted meets all of the sanitary requirements of the state.
(3) A transfer of 10 percent of any financial interest, a change of executive officers or directors, or a divestiture or resignation of such interest or position, in a business holding a vendor’s license permitting the sale of any alcoholic beverages regardless of alcoholic content shall be contingent upon the express approval by the division of the persons holding or acquiring such interest or position except for persons exempted in subsection (1).
(4) Any person, before engaging in the business of exporting alcoholic beverages, must file with the district supervisor of the district of the division in which the exporter’s business is located, a registration on forms provided to the district supervisor by the division. An exporter may not register unless she or he has complied with all appropriate federal regulations, including federal permitting regulations.
(5) Any person or entity licensed or permitted by the division, or applying for a license or permit, must create and maintain an account with the division’s online system and provide an e-mail address to the division to function as the primary means of contact for all communication by the division to the licensee, permittee, or applicant. Licensees, permittees, and applicants are responsible for maintaining accurate contact information on file with the division. A person or an entity seeking a license or permit from the division must apply using forms prepared by the division and filed through the division’s online system before engaging in any business for which a license or permit is required. The division may not process an application for an alcoholic beverage license unless the application is submitted through the division’s online system.
History.—s. 2, ch. 16774, 1935; CGL 1936 Supp. 4151(228); s. 5, ch. 22663, 1945; s. 4, ch. 25359, 1949; s. 3, ch. 29786, 1955; s. 14, ch. 57-420; s. 1, ch. 59-316; ss. 16, 19, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 1, ch. 72-230; s. 459, ch. 77-147; s. 2, ch. 77-192; s. 2, ch. 81-166; s. 3, ch. 90-17; s. 7, ch. 91-60; s. 215, ch. 94-218; s. 4, ch. 95-346; s. 841, ch. 97-103; s. 251, ch. 99-8; s. 4, ch. 2000-191; s. 41, ch. 2010-106; s. 2, ch. 2011-150; s. 2, ch. 2017-137; s. 14, ch. 2021-135; s. 19, ch. 2024-178.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 11
cases, 1947–1989 · leading case: Westerman v. Shell's City, Inc.
Westerman v. Shell's City, Inc. (1972)
“Finally, respondent suggests that the payment of a percentage of gross sales to petitioner as a "person interested with the applicant either directly or indirectly in the business for which the license is sought" would be in violation of that provision of Fla. Stat. § 561.17 ,…”
State v. Vocelle (1947)
“Section 5 of Chapter 22663, Acts of 1945, Laws of Florida, amending Section 561.17, Fla. Stats. 1941 (FSA), and Section 6 of Chapter 22663, supra, amending Section 561.”
House v. Cotton (1951)
“Section 561.17, F.S.A., outlines the method to observe and follow in obtaining a liquor license.”
Hunter v. Solomon (1954)
“e law shall not be transferable except as follows: When a licensee shall have made a bona fide sale of the business which he is so licensed to conduct he may obtain a transfer of such license to the purchaser of said business, provided the application of the purchaser shall be…”
Dade County v. Overstreet (1952)
“Section 561.17 provides that any person desiring to engage in the business of manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages shall file under oath with the Tax Collector a written application for a license to operate such a business.”
Wilkenfeld v. Meiklejohn (1968)
“*239 Section 561.17(1), Florida Statutes, F.S.”
Tony's Fish Market of Ft. Lauderdale, Inc. v. State Board of Business Regulation (1978)
“Section 561.17, Florida Statutes (1977), is not unconstitutionally vague.”
Olhausen v. Department of Business Regulation, Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (1985)
“The court appointed receivers did not file an application for a beverage license pursuant to Section 561.17, Florida Statutes, and there is no evidence that the receivers attempted to transfer the beverage license held by the Respondents pursuant to Section 561.”
Redwing Enterprises, Inc. v. Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (1980)
“The final administrative order under review revoked the appellant’s beverage license on the ground that a disqualified person was indirectly interested in its operations in violation of Section 561.17(1), Florida Statutes (1977).”
Parker v. Department of Business Regulation (1989)
“er the provisions of the Beverage Law shall not be transferable except as follows: (a) When a licensee has made a bona fide sale of the business which he is so licensed to conduct, he may obtain a transfer of such license to the purchaser of the business, provided the…”
Huber Distributing Co. v. National Distributing Co. (1974)
“prescribes the qualifications of persons who may apply pursuant to Section 561.17, F.S. for any type of beverage license to manufacture, bottle, distribute, sell or in any way deal in alcoholic beverages.”
— 561.17(1) — 2 cases
Wilkenfeld v. Meiklejohn (1968)
“*239 Section 561.17(1), Florida Statutes, F.S.”
Redwing Enterprises, Inc. v. Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (1980)
“The final administrative order under review revoked the appellant’s beverage license on the ground that a disqualified person was indirectly interested in its operations in violation of Section 561.17(1), Florida Statutes (1977).”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the
Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and
treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.