News from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s
TALLAHASSEE – Hendry County is among the counties eligible for a new alcoholic beverage license.
On Aug. 18, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s (DBPR) Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT) announced the opening of the 2025 Quota Beverage License Drawing Period. Each year, new quota beverage licenses are issued to businesses in counties with an increased population, with one new license created for every population increase of 7,500 in each county. This creates an accessible pathway for businesses to become licensed to serve a full range of alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine, and spirits.
The 2025 drawing entry period includes 52 new quota beverage licenses available for issuance in 26 counties, including Bay, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Dade, Duval, Hendry, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, and Volusia.
Following the application period, entrants selected from the drawing will be awarded the right to apply to hold one of the available licenses in the county from which their entry was selected.
Through ABT’s programming, including the quota license drawing, the Department distributes more than $31 million dollars to various programs each year, ensuring that critical funding reaches a broad range of public health and community initiatives throughout Florida. Specifically related to the Quota Beverage License, fees collected from entities that receive a new quota liquor license are allocated to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) to support the Hughs Act. For fiscal year 2024-2025, a total of $559,000 in Hughes Act funds was transferred to DCF for alcohol and drug abuse education, treatment, and prevention programs.
