Victor J. Blue/Getty Images
- Florida will likely authorize restaurants to sell and deliver to-go alcoholic drinks permanently.
- Alcoholic drinks must be accompanied by the sale of food, and the beverage cannot exceed 32 ounces.
- Public health groups warn these laws could increase addiction, drunk driving, and underage drinking.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
You'll soon be able to get cocktails to-go in Florida for good.
Florida state's legislature sent a bill authorizing restaurants to sell and deliver to-go alcoholic drinks to Gov. Ron DeSantis' office on April 28. The Florida Sun-Sentinel first reported the motion.
DeSantis signed an executive order last March allowing restaurants to sell t0-go alcoholic drinks during the COVID-19 pandemic to help businesses stay afloat, and he's said he would be in favor of the policy becoming permanent.
The law would allow restaurants with liquor licenses to sell sealed wine, beer, and wine- or liquor-based cocktails for consumption away from the premises or for take-away order.
To-go alcoholic drinks must be accompanied by the sale of food, and the beverage cannot exceed 32 ounces, the bill notes.
Florida isn't the only state in favor of permanent alcohol delivery. Colorado's House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that would extend to-go cocktail delivery for five years. Texas and Georgia state lawmakers are working on similar laws as well.
Public health groups, including the American Public Health Association and the US Alcohol Policy Alliance, have pushed back on these measures, warning they could lead to increased underage drinking, addiction, drunken driving, injuries, violence, and chronic health problems, as Insider's Kimberly Leonard reported.
Representatives from Florida's state legislature were not immediately available for additional comment.