Discussion to reopen bars and breweries in Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears said that he’s going to set meetings throughout Florida with breweries and bars to discuss ideas on how to reopen.

“I’m going to set meetings throughout Florida with breweries and bars to discuss ideas on how to reopen. We will come up with a safe, smart, and step-by-step plan based on input, science, and relative facts on how to reopen as soon as possible,” Beshears said.

Owners of breweries in Jacksonville, such as Legacy Ale Works, said they are waiting for an invitation.

“The timing of it obviously is a bit poor, considering we’ve all been closed for over a month,” said Elizabeth Jacobs, owner of Legacy Ale Works. “We all would have liked to have seen that message at the front end of this versus now.”

The announcement comes after the Florida Brewers Guild sent a letter to Beshears and Gov. Ron DeSantis warning that more than 100 breweries across the state soon might close permanently if restrictions aren’t lifted.

The Brewers Guild sent the letter on behalf of Florida’s more than 320 breweries, which employ more than 10,000.

Jacobs says Beshears announcement is a step in the right direction.

“It’s something that we will be able to implement for the long term because this is not going to go away anytime soon,” Jacobs said. “Shuttering any of the businesses is not the real answer. It’s really creating an effective plan that will work for everyone,”

She added that restaurant owners should be included in Beshears meeting because many of them operate the same and other completely different.

Cox Media Group