Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Alcohol Regulation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Subcommittee approves repeal of “reusable” requirement for wine kegs
Summary
The IPA subcommittee voted unanimously to advance House Bill 6015, sponsored in committee by Representative Oliver, which removes the single word “reusable” from Florida’s wine-keg statute; supporters said the change would reduce regulatory barriers for wineries and allow businesses to choose container materials.
House Bill 6015, which would remove the word “reusable” from Florida’s statute governing the sale of wine in kegs, advanced out of the IPA subcommittee by a unanimous vote.
Representative Oliver, the sponsor in committee, described HB 6015 as “a repealer bill” that eliminates “one word and one word only from our current wine keg statute.” Oliver said the current rule allows wine kegs to be sold only if they are in “reusable containers,” a restriction she said “has nothing to do with the safety of the wine” and instead limits businesses’ ability to innovate. “This regulation has nothing to do with the safety of the wine,” Oliver said, adding the change will allow “Florida businesses, rather than the government, to innovate.”
Members who spoke in favor framed the bill as a relief to small businesses. Representative Henson said the change would allow a winery in her district to sell products in Florida after being blocked by the existing one-word requirement. Representative Antone also voiced support during debate. No public opponents registered; a representative of Island Grove Wine Company appeared in support for the bill.
Roll call after the debate showed the measure passing 16 yeas, 0 nays. The committee directed the clerk to show the bill “favorably,” advancing it from the hearing.
The bill’s text, as read into the record, amends section 564.05 of the Florida Statutes to remove the “reusable” limitation from the definition of acceptable wine keg containers. The sponsor said the change is narrow in scope — a single-word repeal — but would “cut senseless regulation” and affect how wineries package and sell kegged wine.
The committee record shows no amendment adopted to alter the bill’s substantive effect. Committee discussion centered on the business and practical implications — for example, one member asked whether a five-gallon Home Depot bucket would fall within the allowed sizes; the sponsor replied that the statute’s other requirements would still apply and that container size and other details would be left to the business as long as it met statutory regulations.
The subcommittee’s favorable showing sends HB 6015 to the next committee in the process for further consideration.
