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Alachua County considers standardizing alcohol production rules

Alachua County Development Services Planner Medhi Benkhatar presents the request to advertise a Notice for Public Hearing for a Unified Land Development Code for small-scale alcoholic beverage production facilities. (Megan Howard/WUFT News)
Alachua County Development Services Planner Medhi Benkhatar presents the request to advertise a Notice for Public Hearing for a Unified Land Development Code for small-scale alcoholic beverage production facilities. (Megan Howard/WUFT News)

Nightclubs, bars, restaurants and agritourism operations in Alachua County may soon be able to apply to produce alcohol on-site for public consumption.

Medhi Benkhatar, the county’s development services planner, on Tuesday requested a public hearing for an amendment to the county’s development code. It would add new policies to the Alachua County Code on Food and Beverage.

There are eight existing microbreweries within Alachua County, which are a part of Visit Gainesville’s Alachua County Ale Trail, whose presence and popularity have been a boost to the local economy, Benkhatar said.

“Throughout the U.S., there’s been a proliferation the last few decades of small-scale alcoholic beverage producers, such as microbreweries, microwineries, microdistilleries,” he told the commissioners.

The county code’s current Food and Beverage section doesn’t have any defined standards for alcohol production.

The code amendments would allow bars and restaurants to produce alcohol for on-site consumption. Tap and tasting rooms would be allowed to sell alcohol-related merchandise, such as bottles and cans, for public purchase.

Both would occur in compliance with the licenses required by the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco, Benkhatar told WUFT.

The amendment would permit small-scale alcoholic beverage production facilities and alcoholic merchandise sales in light industrial zoning districts.

Production and merchandise sales would be permitted in agricultural zoning districts only as an accessory to the agricultural zoning district on the condition of there being an existing agritourism operation.

Small-scale alcoholic beverage producers can make no more than 465,000 gallons of beer or cider, 100,000 gallons of wine or mead and 15,000 gallons of spirits per year. Current drafts of the code amendment would allow facilities to produce each kind of alcohol, as long aseach beverage produced stays within limit.

The amendment is still in the planning stages, and Commissioner Mary Alford shared concerns about safety during the spirit distillation process.

“The distillation process requires pressure and heat and separation of liquids,” she said. “I just didn’t know if they had any additional safety requirements or limits.”

Benkhatar said he wasn’t sure about the safety requirements as the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations issues those permits, but would look into safety issues and requirements ahead of the next hearing.

The commissioners finished discussion and voted unanimously to advertise the possible code change for a public hearing. The board hasn’t yet set a date for the hearings.

Megan is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.