Gov. Rick Scott brandished his veto pen Wednesday evening to say “no” to legislation repealing a decades-old provision requiring hard liquor to be sold in stores separate from grocery stores.
Nicknamed the “Whiskey and Wheaties Bill,” SB 106 would have allowed big-name grocery stores like Walmart and Publix to break down the “liquor wall” separating spirits from being sold inside grocery stores and large retailers.
The "liquor wall" has been state law since Prohibition.
The Florida Senate approved the measure by a vote of 21-17. The bill barely squeaked by in the House of Representatives, which narrowly approved the bill by a vote of 58-57 late last month.
Big names like Walmart and Target pumped lots of money into passing the legislation, while independent liquor stores, Publix and ABC Fine Wine and Liquors opposed it.
Supporters of SB 106 have said the legislation would promote free market ideals and would allow for more competition in the liquor industry and argued breaking down the “liquor wall” would be more convenient to shoppers, who could easily buy their groceries and liquor in one fell swoop.
Opponents said the legislation would hurt their businesses and made sure to voice their concerns to the governor, who received thousands of emails and petition signatures, urging him to veto the bill.
It seems their efforts paid off in the end, when Scott ended up taking their side.
In his veto letter, Scott said he killed the bill in part to protect the interests of small businesses across the state.
“From the day I took office, I have been committed to eliminating regulations that impose duplicative and unnecessary requirements on Florida’s citizens and businesses,” Scott wrote to Secretary of State Ken Detzner. “I carefully reviewed this bill and I have met with stakeholders on both sides. I listened closely to what they had to say and I understand both positions have merit. Nevertheless, I have heard concerns as to how this bill could affect many small businesses across Florida.”
Small businesses cheered the veto, trashing big businesses for attempting to monopolize the liquor industry.
“This bill would have decimated small, locally owned liquor stores," said Florida Legislative Director for the National Federation of Independent Business Tim Nungesser. "Though proponents claimed this was a free market bill, it was nothing more than an attempt to use the statute to corner the market on liquor. Governor Scott stood up for small business tonight by vetoing the Whiskey and Wheaties bill.”
Even though they took home a loss Wednesday, big-box chains like Walmart, Costco and Target didn’t seem to be giving up the fight against what they called an “outdated” law.
“We have made tremendous progress in the last four years and there is a clear momentum in Florida for this common-sense approach to liquor sales,” the companies’ coalition, Floridians for Fair Business Practice, said in a statement Wednesday. “While Governor Scott ultimately chose to veto Senate Bill 106, we look forward to working with state leaders in the future to finally put an end to this outdated, Prohibition-era law.”
Read Scott’s veto letter here.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
