A First Coast state senator wants to open the door for more theme park events sponsored by alcohol makers.
Florida law prohibits brewers from directly coordinating with beer or liquor retailers in most ways, including on advertising. It’s part of the state’s “tied house evil” statute. The original thought was if bars and brewers were “tied” too closely together, it would promote alcohol abuse. So beer companies were banned from having a direct financial stake in taverns.
Today, a bar, music hall or restaurant can hang signs, use branded coasters or offer specials on certain beer, but all of that marketing is done through a beer’s distributor, not its manufacturer.
Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Elkton, wanted to tear down the advertising barrier for all vendors — but after pushback from his colleagues he narrowed his measure to theme parks.
“If (theme parks) wanted to have sponsorships for special events they could advertise on the radio saying this is sponsored by MillerCoors, Bud Light. Even a craft brewery that may want to sponsor an event can go into that cooperative advertising without having to go through their distributors,” he said.
Hutson, who’s also co-sponsoring a bill loosening rules on craft distilleries, said he wants to chip away at archaic regulation.
“Any other — you name it — name brand item out there can call Universal or Disney tomorrow and say ‘we want to advertise in your parks,’ but the second it comes to an alcohol person, they’re prohibited from making that call,” he said.
Universal and SeaWorld support the bill, but asFlorida Politics reports, lobbyists representing large brewers like MillerCoors and Anheuser Busch have signaled opposition.
Members of the Florida Beer Wholesalers Association, which represents Anheuser-Busch and executives for MillerCoors, fear undoing the law would leave companies open to extortion by theme parks because they could threaten withholding retail space if a brewer does not sponsor a particular event.
Still, Hutson said, he’s not hearing universal opposition from brewers.
“I have spoken to people from Anheuser-Busch. I have not heard they’re opposed to the bill,” he said. “In fact, in committee, I don't remember them getting up saying they’re opposed to the bill. I think MillerCoors got up and said they’re opposed, but I didn't hear from Anheuser-Busch.”
Calls to Anheuser-Busch corporate headquarters, which operates a brewery in Jacksonville, were not immediately returned.
A House panel is scheduled to take up the companion to Hutson’s measure Tuesday.
Photo: "Beer" by Lars Plougmann used under Creative Commons license.
Reporter Ryan Benk can be reached at rbenk@wjct.org, at (904) 358 6319 or on Twitter @RyanMichaelBenk.
