Ron DeSantis Just Changed Wine in Florida

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a campaign event at the Chrome Horse Saloon on January 14, 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law on Thursday that will expand the maximum allowable capacity for wine bottles.

Before recent legislation was introduced, it was illegal to sell an individual container that held more than one gallon of wine in Florida, with some exceptions. If a seller violated this law and was convicted, they would get a second-degree misdemeanor.

At a press conference on Thursday at Wine Watch, a wine boutique in Fort Lauderdale, DeSantis said that Floridians are now allowed to sell individual wine bottles up to 15 liters, which is nearly four gallons.

Florida House Bill 583, titled Individual Wine Containers, was filed in November 2023 and passed in February. The state Senate later passed it earlier this month.

“What they were able to do in the legislature is look at laws in the state of Florida that were just anachronistic, that were not good for businesses like this, and not good for Florida consumers,” DeSantis said. “And so, that’s why I’m signing the bill here today.”

Newsweek reached out to DeSantis’ office via email for comment.

Melanie Griffin, secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), raved about how the new bill will help businesses in the state.

“I have the pleasure of working with 1.7 million licensees and not only does this bill create a potential cost savings for 51,000 DBPR licensees, it also allows Florida to be competitive with other states who are already selling wine in these larger quantities,” Griffin said at the press conference.

“This industry is a major economic driver in our state and with a governor who continues to make decisions that are good for business, I am confident that we will continue to see our business climate and economy thrive.”

DeSantis’ signing of the new bill comes on the heels of an X post from conservative news outlet parody site The Babylon Bee, which wrote the headline: “DeSantis Kicked Out Of Republican Party For Accomplishing Too Many Things.”

Last week, DeSantis signed Florida House Bill 1365, which bans people from sleeping on public property without a permit. The bill does allow for local governments to designate properties for sleeping or camping, but the sites have to meet Florida Department of Children and Families standards and can only be used for one year.

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