St. Mary's board debates whether suspensions should be stayed pending appeals

At the May 8, 2025 meeting the St. Mary’s County Alcohol Beverage Board discussed a request from the local licensed-beverage association to allow licensees to appeal board suspensions before the suspensions take effect.

Representatives of the licensed-beverage association asked the board to consider a policy change so that licensees would not be suspended immediately after a board decision but would be able to exhaust an internal or court appeal window first. The association argued that immediate suspensions can impose disproportionate economic harm, particularly when a licensee has acknowledged a violation and wants to pursue a procedural appeal or seek leniency for scheduled events.

Board members and counsel discussed the legal framework: board decisions may be appealed to the Circuit Court for St. Mary’s County and a notice of appeal must be filed within 30 days of the board’s decision. Board attorney Christopher Beaver said that if a notice of appeal is filed the court often considers a motion to stay enforcement, and courts commonly weigh public-safety concerns and the merits of the appeal in deciding whether to stay a suspension.

Board members told the association they have discretion in imposing or timing suspensions and have, in past cases, used suspensions or short-term training suspensions (for example, three-day suspensions tied to retraining) to address serious problems. Members noted they have rarely moved to prolonged suspensions or revocations and that courts may, depending on circumstances, grant stays during appeals. The board invited the association to present more detailed proposals at a future meeting if it wished.