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HB1155 • 2026

Malt Beverages

Malt Beverages

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Yeager
Last action
2026-03-13
Official status
House - Died in Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee
Effective date
2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide detailed information on how the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco will determine yearly production amounts beyond creating rules for requests.

Malt Beverages Law

This law allows small malt beverage manufacturers to sell and deliver their products directly to vendors and gives them the right to end contracts with distributors under certain conditions.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows manufacturers who produce less than 31,000 gallons of malt beverages in a year to sell and deliver these drinks directly to sellers.
  • Gives small manufacturers the ability to cancel or not renew contracts with distributors if they meet specific requirements.
  • States that ending such contracts is not against any laws about unfair business practices.
  • Permits the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco to decide how much beer a manufacturer makes in a year, upon request.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Malt beverage manufacturers who produce less than 31,000 gallons per year
  • Distributors and vendors selling malt beverages

Terms To Know

Prima Facie Evidence
Evidence that proves something unless there's strong evidence against it.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only applies to manufacturers producing less than 31,000 gallons of malt beverages annually.
  • It does not specify how the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco will determine yearly production amounts beyond creating rules for requests.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-13 House

    • Died in Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee

  2. 2026-01-15 House

    • Referred to Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee • Referred to State Administration Budget Subcommittee • Referred to Commerce Committee • Now in Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee

  3. 2026-01-13 House

    • 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)

  4. 2026-01-07 House

    • Filed

Official Summary Text

Malt Beverages; Authorizes certain manufacturers to sell & deliver malt beverages to vendors; authorizes manufacturer to terminate, cancel, nonrenew, & discontinue certain contracts; authorizes Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco to determine manufacturer's yearly production amount, upon manufacturer's request.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB 1155 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1155-00
Page 1 of 4
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to malt beverages; amending 561.42, 2
F.S.; authorizing certain manufacturers to sell and 3
deliver malt beverages to vendors; amending s. 4
563.022, F.S.; authorizing a manufacturer to 5
terminate, cancel, nonrenew, and discontinue certain 6
contracts under certain conditions; providing that 7
such terminations, cancellations, nonrenewals, and 8
discontinuances are not violations of unlawful acts 9
and practices provisions; authorizing the Division of 10
Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco to determine a 11
manufacturer's yearly production amount, upon the 12
manufacturer's request; providing that certain 13
information is prima facie evidence; authorizing the 14
division to adopt rules; providing applicability; 15
amending s. 561.221, F.S.; conforming a cross-16
reference; providing an effective date. 17
18
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 19
20
Section 1. Subsection (15) is added to section 561.42, 21
Florida Statutes, to read: 22
561.42 Tied house evil; financial aid and assistance to 23
vendor by manufacturer, distributor, importer, primary American 24
source of supply, brand owner or registrant, or any broker, 25

HB 1155 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

sales agent, or sales person thereof, prohibited; procedure for 26
enforcement; exception.— 27
(15) Nothing in this section or any other provision of the 28
Beverage Law shall prohibit a malt beverage manufacturer who 29
produces less than 31,000 gallons of malt beverages within a 30
calendar year from selling and delivering the malt beverages 31
produced by the manufacturer directly to vendors. 32
Section 2. Subsections (12) through (21) of section 33
563.022, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (13) 34
through (22), respectively, and a new subsection (12) is added 35
to that section, to read: 36
563.022 Relations between beer distributors and 37
manufacturers.— 38
(12) TERMINATION, CANCELLATION, NONRENEWAL, AND 39
DISCONTINUANCE OF FRANCHISE AGREEMENT.— 40
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of law relating to 41
franchise agreements or any other provision in this section, a 42
manufacturer may terminate, cancel, nonrenew, or discontinue a 43
franchise agreement when all of the following occur: 44
1. The manufacturer produced less than 31,000 gallons of 45
beer in the 12 months before the effective date of the franchise 46
agreement. 47
2. The manufacturer provides written notice of the 48
termination, cancellation, nonrenewal, or discontinuance of the 49
franchise agreement to the distributor not less than 24 months 50

HB 1155 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

before the effective date of the termination, cancellation, 51
nonrenewal, or discontinuance. 52
3. The manufacturer provides written notice of the 53
termination, cancellation, nonrenewal, or discontinuance to the 54
distributor not less than 36 months, but not more than 38 55
months, after the effective date of the franchise agreement. 56
(b) A franchise agreement that is terminated, cancelled, 57
nonrenewed, or discontinued under this subsection is not a 58
violation of subsection (4), and a manufacturer is not required 59
to pay reasonable compensation to a distributor. 60
(c) At the request of a manufacturer, the division may 61
determine the manufacturer's yearly production amount. A 62
determination by the division, when certified in writing, is 63
prima facie evidence of the amount of beer produced by the 64
manufacturer in a 12-month period. The division may adopt rules 65
for manufacturers to request written certification of the amount 66
of beer produced by a manufacturer in a given period. However, a 67
manufacturer may not make such request more than once in any 12-68
month period. A determination by the division that a 69
manufacturer produces less than 31,000 gallons in a 12-month 70
period is effective for 3 years. 71
(d) This subsection applies to all franchise agreements 72
entered into on or after July 1, 2026, and may not be waived by 73
any party in a franchise agreement. 74
Section 3. Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section 75

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

561.221, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 76
561.221 Licensing of manufacturers and distributors as 77
vendors and of vendors as manufacturers; conditions and 78
limitations.— 79
(2) 80
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Beverage 81
Law, a manufacturer holding multiple manufacturing licenses may 82
transfer malt beverages to a licensed facility, as provided in 83
s. 563.022(15)(d) s. 563.022(14)(d), in an amount up to the 84
yearly production amount at the receiving facility. Malt 85
beverages and other alcoholic beverages manufactured by another 86
licensed manufacturer, including any malt beverages that are 87
owned in whole or in part by the manufacturer but are brewed by 88
another manufacturer, must be obtained through a licensed 89
distributor that is not also a licensed manufacturer, a licensed 90
broker or sales agent, or a licensed importer. 91
Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 92