Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new bill Thursday that removes the wine container capacity limit in Florida.
DeSantis signed the bill at a ceremony at a Fort Lauderdale wine shop.
DeSantis said the measure, HB 583, changes an “anachronistic” law that isn’t good for businesses or consumers.
Florida law prohibited the sale of wine in bottles larger than one gallon (a little over three liters), unless it is sold in a 5.16 gallon (20 liter) reusable container. Distributors and manufacturers are allowed to sell wine to other distributors and manufacturers in containers of any size.
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"A bottle like this was not able to be sold in a store like this in the state of Florida," DeSantis said while pointing to a big bottle of wine next to him. "Now you can go all the way up to 15 liters in the state of Florida, which is almost 4 gallons."
The law, which will go into effect July 1, will allow wine to be sold in 4.5-, 6-, 9-, 12- and 15-liter glass bottles.
This year’s bill, spearheaded by Rep. Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point, was unanimously passed by the House. The Senate voted 38-1 to approve it, with Sen. Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, dissenting.
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“We want our consumers to be happy,” DeSantis said. “And if that means they want to buy and sell a big old bottle of wine like this, then by golly they're going to be able to do that in the state of Florida.”
