Florida Alcoholic Beverage Market: Regulations, Statistics, Trends, and Wholesalers

Florida is one of the largest and fastest-growing states in the country. Its year-round warm climate and status as a top destination for travelers around the globe make it a hot spot for beverage alcohol entrepreneurs, especially those interested in establishing a footprint in hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs.

We’ve prepared a guide to the Florida Market, which covers the following topics:

• Category consumption trends for spirits, wine, and beer
• The regulatory structure and oversight in Florida
• Essential state laws, procedures and regulations
• Market facts and key players

Florida had an approximate population of 22 million people in 2022 with 17.1 million of them within the legal drinking age bracket. The state ranks third on the list of states that consume the most alcohol, behind California and Texas, but second on the list of states consuming the most spirits and wine, behind California. While South Florida gets the majority of the attention, 59% of wine & spirits sales occur outside of South Florida and the Tampa & Orlando markets account for 38% of total sales in the state.

If you need help establishing your presence in the Sunshine State, provide your information below, and we’ll contact you to share more on how we can help.

Consumption Trends In Florida

Florida is one of the largest beverage alcohol markets in the United States. In 2021, there were 175 million cases of beer sold, followed by 28.5 million cases of wine, and 20.1 million cases of spirits. The state ranks in the top three best markets for both wine and spirits. Below you will find some charts displaying the volume growth for beer, wine, and spirits over a five-year period.

Florida Spirits Consumption from 2015-2020 by 9-Liter Cases

Florida Wine Consumption from 2015-2020 by 9-Liter Cases

Florida Beer Consumption from 2015-2020 by 9-Liter Cases

Florida State Alcohol Licensing

All U.S. states are regulated at a federal level according to the Federal Alcohol Administration Act. At a state level, Florida is overseen by the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco within the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). The agency is responsible for licensing, tax collection and auditing, fee collection, and enforcing the state’s laws and regulations. Selling alcohol in Florida, or any state you may be looking to do business in, requires knowledge of the state, county, and local alcohol laws to remain compliant. We’ve put together some of the most common questions covering the off and on-premise environments in the state. Should you have any other selling-related questions, please feel free to reach out to us.

• Manufacturers (breweries, wineries, distilleries, cideries, meaderies, and rectifiers)
• Wholesalers, also known as distributors
• Retailers (on-premise and off- premise)

In the simplest terms, manufacturers, sometimes referred to as producers, make the alcohol products. Wholesalers sell the alcohol to the retailers. Retailers sell the alcohol to consumers. While there are some exceptions to this flow of goods, this is the federally regulated route to market.

All businesses that deal with manufacturing, distributing, selling, or importing alcohol in Florida must be licensed.

As of 2022, there are over 150 licensed distillers and bottlers, over 400 breweries with active licenses, and approximately 35 wineries in the state of Florida.

Common Licenses for Manufacturers in Florida

Distiller of Spirituous Liquor – Engaged in manufacturing distilled spirits. License permits the manufacture of alcoholic beverages and the distribution of the same at wholesale to licensed distributors.

Distiller of Spirituous Liquor (Craft Distillery) – For manufacturers producing 250,000 gallons or less of distilled spirits per calendar year. May conduct tastings and sales of distilled spirits produced by the craft distilleries at Florida fairs, trade shows, farmers markets, expositions, and festivals.

Manufacturer of Malt Beverages – Engaged in brewing malt beverages. License permits the manufacture of alcoholic beverages and the distribution of the same at wholesale to licensed distributors.

Manufacturer of Wine and Cordials – Engaged in manufacturing of wines and cordials. License permits the manufacture of alcoholic beverages and the distribution of the same at wholesale to licensed distributors.

Manufacturer of Wine – Engaged in manufacturing or bottling wine. License permits the manufacture of alcoholic beverages and the distribution of the same at wholesale to licensed distributors.

Rectifier/Blender – Engaged in rectifying and blending spirituous liquors. License permits the manufacture of alcoholic beverages and the distribution of the same at wholesale to licensed distributors.

Florida State Alcohol Regulations

Florida is an open state, meaning the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages is handled by private entities but still regulated by state legislators.

Shipping and Selling to Consumers

In Florida, distillers and retailers may serve or deliver alcohol to consumers if certain conditions are met. Below is a breakdown of these specific distribution and sales regulations:.

Distiller of Spirituous Liquor (Craft Distillery):

• Must produce 250,000 gallons or less per year
• Can sell to consumers (i.e. tasting rooms & gift shop)
• Can sell at events within the state of Florida (i.e. fairs and festivals)

Retailers:

• Can sell product directly to consumers for on or off-premise consumption
• Off-premise retailers may deliver directly to a consumer’s residence
• On-premise food providers may also deliver alcoholic beverages if the sale is accompanied by the sale of food within the same order

Self-Pitch Distribution Model

Finding the right distributor is often cited as one of the most difficult challenges to building a brand in the U.S. There are thousands of brands and industry consolidation has led to fewer distribution companies to choose from in each market.

As such, one option available to emerging brands is to use Park Street’s self-pitch distribution model. The self-pitch distribution model is similar to the three-tier traditional distribution model where product is delivered to retailers, but the key difference is that sales and marketing is handled by the supplier.

Park Street’s CEO Explains Self-Pitch Distribution

Required Procedures for Alcohol Suppliers Selling in Florida

Label Registration

All alcohol products sold in Florida must have a label registration approved by the Florida DBPR in order to ensure products are in compliance with federal and state label regulations. Brands can register products in the state for $30 per label.

Price Posting

The state of Florida does not require any price posting at either the wholesale or retail level.

Florida Spirits Volume Sales By Category – 2020 Data

Spirit trends in Florida by volume and dollar sales in 2020.

Florida Wine Volume Sales By Category – 2020 Data

See below for the wine trends in Florida by volume sales in 2020.

Florida Beer Volume Sales By Category – 2020 Data

See below for the beer trends in Florida by volume sales in 2020.

FAQs on Florida Beer, Wine & Spirits Sales

Beer Distributors

Florida Distributing Company

Gold Coast Beverage

Brown Distributing

Buying Alcohol In Florida – Hours, Locations & Taxes

Florida, although some dry counties do exist, is not a dry state, which means you can buy alcohol within the state. If you’re looking to learn the rules, regulations, and laws on buying beer, wine, and spirits within the state, then see below.  Learn more about buying both off-premise and on-premise today.

FAQs on Buying Beer, Wine & Liquor in Florida

Here at Park Street we connect wholesalers with distributors and provide many types of services that allow you to focus on building your brand while we handle the rest! If you’re interested in learning more about our services, please feel free to complete the form below and a member of our client development team will be in touch within 24 hours.