To some from northern or western states, Florida might be nearly synonymous with thoughts of Jimmy Buffett singing about wasting the day away in Margaritaville on a Sunshine State beach. But did you know that there is still at least one county that’s considered mostly “dry,” not allowing the sale of hard liquor within its county lines?
Until recent years, a handful of Florida counties remained fully dry, until their residents voted to flip to “wet,” the most recent of those taking place in 2022.
Regardless of the county-by-county ordinances on when and where liquor can or can’t be sold, there is a state statute that prohibits buying any alcohol during certain hours of the night.
Here’s what to know about when you can buy alcohol in Florida, which counties in Florida are still dry or partially dry and which U.S. state has the most dry counties.
When can you buy alcohol in Florida?
Florida has a state statute (562.14), that says alcohol can’t be sold or served between the hours of midnight and 7 a.m., unless a county or municipal ordinance says otherwise. This means the hours during which you can buy and sell alcohol vary from county to county.
“Except as otherwise provided by county or municipal ordinance, no alcoholic beverages may be sold, consumed, served, or permitted to be served or consumed in any place holding a license under the division between the hours of midnight and 7 a.m. of the following day,” the statute says.
What does it mean if a county is dry?
“Across the United States, there are hundreds of localities where the purchase of alcohol is completely or partially prohibited. Local jurisdictions can be grouped into one of three categories: wet, dry, and moist,” the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA) website says.
Here are the NABCA definitions for each of the three terms:
According to World Population Review, Florida is one of 33 states that allows counties to decide if they’d like to be dry.
Are there any dry counties in Florida?
There is at least one Florida county that is a “moist” county, selling no hard liquor within its limits. There are some others that are partially dry (or moist) in different ways and others that recently flipped from dry to wet within the last 10 to 15 years.
Liberty County:
According to Liquor License FL, in Liberty County “no one is allowed the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public spaces or on public property.” This is technically true for the whole state of Florida, since the state’s open container laws prohibit drinking in public spaces like streets, sidewalks and on most beaches.
The County’s board of commissioners’ website has three ordinances that establish laws surrounding alcohol consumption and are slightly stricter than most other Florida counties. The first establishes the same no-sell hours as the state statute (midnight through 7 a.m.). The second prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages within 300 feet of a church or a school. The third prohibits alcohol consumption at county-owned parks.
Washington County:
Washington County was dry, prohibiting the sale of hard liquor within its borders, until county residents overruled it in a special election in 2022.
Polk County:
Polk County, although it isn’t a completely dry county, has been one of the strictest counties in the state when it comes to alcohol sales, causing some businesses in the unincorporated parts of the county to annex into the nearest county with looser liquor laws.
But in August, the County Commission began considering easing some of its restrictive liquor laws on where establishments can sell alcohol and when. The sale of alcohol on Sundays is also prohibited in Polk County.
“On the chopping block is language about the distance a business selling alcohol must be from churches and schools, as well as alterations to the days and hours businesses are allowed to sell or serve alcohol in unincorporated areas,” the Lakeland Ledger reported in September.
“Right now, for example, Polk measures the separation of liquor establishments from schools and churches via a straight line or “as the crow flies” from property line to property line.”
Lafayette County:
According to Liquor License FL, in Lafayette County “no alcoholic beverages that exceed 6.243% of alcohol by volume may be sold, either off or on premises.” For reference, the average can of beer lies somewhere between 5% and 6% ABV and a can of light beer usually are somewhere between 4% and 5% ABV.
According to the Lafayette County Board of Commissioners, you can’t buy hard liquor within the county.
Suwannee and Madison:
Suwannee and Madison counties were also among the few historically dry counties that flipped wet in recent years. Suwannee residents voted for a wet county in 2011 and Madison County residents voted for the same thing in 2012, according to a 2021 article from Florida Political Review.
What state has the most dry counties?
According to World Population Review, Arkansas leads the U.S. with more than 30 dry counties.
“Arkansas has 34 dry counties out of its 75, and all alcohol sales are prohibited on Sundays. New Mexico is wet by default but is dry on Sundays until noon,” World Population Review says.
“Laws prohibiting alcohol sales on Sundays are called blue laws. Kansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee are dry states by default, and counties must specifically authorize the sale of alcohol.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Are there any dry counties in Florida? Here’s when and where you can buy liquor in Florida
Reporting by Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
