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House wine sales bill not to Senate's taste
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 27, 2006
TALLAHASSEE - The Florida House is all for your being able to buy wine on Internet sites - but only from smaller makers.
A bill passed unanimously Wednesday would allow most wines to be shipped through the mail to Florida - except from wineries producing more than 250,000 gallons a year.
About a year ago, the Supreme Court struck down laws in New York and Michigan that prohibited wineries from shipping direct to customers across state lines. States have since been adjusting their laws.
Florida consumers have been able to get wine through the mail since last year, but there's no state system addressing taxes and other regulations.
The bill passed Wednesday (HB 247) would allow for taxes to be collected on incoming wine, and set up rules to help ensure minors can't buy it.
But the bill still needs Senate approval - and a key difference with that chamber could bottle up the issue for the year.
The Senate bill (SB 282) ready for floor consideration doesn't include the cap, and its sponsor, Sen. Paula Dockery, has said she won't support it. Having no bill pass would be better, she said, because it wouldn't limit what wines Floridians could buy through the mail.
The sponsor of the House bill, Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, said the gallonage limitation was critical to a compromise involving a broad range of interests.
[Last modified April 27, 2006, 02:19:43]
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