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Drink up! Smaller restaurants in downtown Jacksonville and along Kings Avenue could begin serving liquor with new state law

May 19, 2022

A new state law will allow smaller restaurants along a stretch of Kings Avenue to serve liquor and cocktails as long as the establishment meets a series of conditions including a minimum of 50 seats.

The newly approved law also will enable restaurants in the downtown Northbank to obtain the special licenses if they can serve at least 50 people at a time, half of the former 100-diner threshold.

The measure — House Bill 1497 introduced by state Rep. Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville — took effect immediately after it was signed this week by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The law creates and adds the Kings Avenue Commercial Corridor to existing areas in downtown Jacksonville and historic neighborhoods such as Riverside, Avondale, San Marco and others where the state previously opened the door to smaller restaurants being able to serve liquor and cocktails.

The Kings Avenue Commercial Corridor is designated as the area between Prudential Drive on the Southbank and Atlantic Boulevard in San Marco.

To get a license, a restaurant is required to occupy at least 1,000 square feet of service area, to be able to serve meals to at least 50 people at one time and to derive at least 51% of its gross food and beverage revenue from the sale of food and nonalcoholic beverages.

An economic impact statement shows that "the bill is revenue positive due to the increase in sales tax revenue and licensing revenue if such special licenses are granted under the exception," according to a House staff analysis of the measure.

The downtown Northbank was already one of the areas where businesses could apply for those special alcoholic beverage licenses. The new law expands the ability of businesses in that area to get the licenses based on the relaxed criteria.

Before the change, businesses in the downtown Northbank had to be able to serve at least 100 people at a time at tables and occupy more than 1,800 square feet of floor space that derived at least 51% of annual revenue from sales of food consumed on-premises.

The new law does not change the criteria for special alcoholic beverage licenses for businesses in the downtown Southbank, Riverside Avondale Urban Transition Area, Riverside Avondale Commercial Character Areas, Murray Hill Commercial Area, Springfield Commercial Area, and San Marco Transportation Area.

Those areas still have the same criteria that previously was in place for the downtown Northbank.

Outside of listed areas in state law, the threshold in Duval County to get the special alcoholic beverage licenses requires the food service establishment to have at least 2,500 square feet of service area and be equipped to serve meals to 150 people at one time.

They must derive at least 51% of their gross food and beverage revenue from the sale of food and nonalcoholic beverages during the first 120-day operating period and the first 12-month operating period thereafter.

Jacksonville City Council voted 17-0 on Oct. 12, 2021 to approve the then-proposed Kings Avenue Commercial Corridor legislation. The Council also asked the Duval County Legislative Delegation to support the measure, records show.

Get the full story from The Florida Times-Union.