SB1714 Going to committee today.

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2014/1714
This bill, formerly known as SB7120, will no longer allow breweries to sell bottles directly to customers. All bottles must be sold to distributors, who can then choose to sell back to the brewery or not, or even raise the price. Special bottle releases will be at the mercy of the distributor. This gives them too much control over the product and the potential for abuse is huge.

It was authored by Don Gaetz, who is the senate President, and is good friends with Lewis Bear of Lewis Bear Distributing. Lewis is a good close friend of Don's, and his company has contributed a large amount of money towards his campaign. Don repaid the favor last year buy appointing Lewis to the Enterprise Florida Board of Directors.

Don was even quoted saying: “I’m with the beer distributors in my district,” “That’s a very important issue because one of my very best friends is an Anheuser-Busch distributor and he never talks to me about his business. It’s always about what are we going to do for disabled children, what are we going to do for the arts, what are we going to do for economic development. But this time he’s talking about growlers.”

Here are the people voting on this bill today: https://www.flsenate.gov/Committees/Show/CA
Make sure you call and make your voice heard.

 

Just called the committee chair, they are in session already. Left a long message, and the assistant said they've been receiving calls about it.

 

Looks like there are solid amendments removing the restriction:
Removes the language requiring a brewery to sell its own product (other than growlers – this was never included here) to a distributor only to re-acquire it if it wishes to sell it for off premises consumption (sales for off-premises consumption allowed as permitted by the manufacturer’s vendor license). Growlers would not be allowed to be filled from guest taps (not much of an issue).

http://komlossylaw.com/senateamendments/

Sure didn't sound like it when I read the amendments but this guy knows legal jargon better than I.

I mean reading line 88 it sounds like they will still be forced to buy from distro:
(a) Sales to consumers for off-premises consumption of malt
73 beverages are limited to growlers that are filled or refilled
74 with malt beverages manufactured on the licensed premises
75 pursuant to the requirements of s. 563.061. Such sales must be
76 made directly to consumers in face-to-face transactions. Malt
77 beverages manufactured at another location, including another
78 licensed manufacturing premises directly or indirectly owned in
79 whole or in part by the manufacturer, and malt beverages
80 manufactured by any other manufacturer may be sold as authorized
81 by the manufacturer’s vendor license, provided that malt
82 beverages sold for consumption off the licensed premises shall
83 be obtained from a licensed distributor and sold to the consumer
84 in their original sealed containers. This paragraph does not
85 prohibit the sale of other alcoholic beverages for on-premises
86 or off-premises consumption, as authorized under the
87 manufacturer’s vendor license, provided that such beverages are
88 obtained from a licensed distributor.

 

Alright I called every senator on the community affairs committee, mostly got answering machines, got a few assistants....
Never once got a senator of course...I hope they are feeling the pressure.

 

No, I don't think so because they are not a manufacturer.

 

Well Ross replied to my comment, seems the bill amendments are not already added to the bill text:

1 Senate Amendment
2
3 Delete lines 69 - 116
4 and insert:
5 no more than one public street or highway. Sales to consumers
6 for off-premises consumption of malt beverages are permitted as
7 authorized by the manufacturer’s vendor license except that
8 growlers may not be filled with malt beverages purchased from a
9 licensed distributor.


This will delete those harmful lines listed in a post above, so the bill isn't nearly as harmful any longer, and it will legalize 64oz growlers.
Though there are some concerning lines towards the end of the bill mentioning glass bottles.

 

Well this is bad news:
"
The only amendment adopted was Stargel’s amendment that would allow all sizes of growlers between (and including) 32 ounces and one gallon (rather than simply set sizes of 32 ounces, 64 ounces, and 128 ounces)"
The amendment I listed above was not adopted.
http://komlossylaw.com/senateamendments/

 

Just called senator Stargel who sponsored the bill... I don't know if these calls are helping but they make me feel like I'm doing something at least.

 

http://komlossylaw.com/cometorest/

Well explained article about the harmful effects this bill will have.
Also it has a status update:
4/9/2014Senate• Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

Not sure what that means, maybe it's going to bypass the rules committee?