Florida's Open Container Law Amendment

[Ksyrup]

I wasn't sure whether to post this in the Florida/Stupid Americans thread or the Henry Earl thread...



The former President of the Florida Senate is sponsoring a bill to make it possible for wine connoisseurs to take home bottles of wine that they've paid for but only partially consumed, which they cannot do now because of Florida's open container law. This all came about because Jim King prefers red wine, while his wife prefers white, and they would always end up with 2 half-consumed bottles of wine at dinner which they had to waste (or get wasted finishing). So, he proposed the bill, a summary of which is below:

CS/CS/SB 1114 would allow restaurants licensed to sell wine on the premises and the restaurant’s patrons to remove one unsealed bottle of wine for consumption off the licensed premises, provided the patron purchased a full-course meal and consumed a portion of the bottle of wine with the meal. The CS defines a full course meal as consisting of a salad or vegetable, entrée, a beverage, and bread. The CS would require the partially consumed bottle of wine must be securely resealed by the licensee, or the licensee’s employee, and placed in a bag or other container secured in such a manner it is visibly apparent if the container has been opened or tampered with after having been sealed. A dated receipt for the wine and meal must be attached to the container, and if transported in a motor vehicle then the container must be placed in a locked glove compartment, locked trunk, or other non-passenger area.

Apparently, NY already has a similar law, but this one has gotten so much attention, other state legislators (and wine lovers, I'm sure) have asked for copies of the bill for their states to consider.

Unfortunately for Mr. Earl, he'd have to purchase a full meal in order to take advantage of this law, which I don't think he can swing.

Anyway, I thought the bill was kinda odd, but the story behind how it came to be pretty funny. If only I had that kind of power...

[JeeberD]

We have that same law (or one very similar) here in Texas. Though I'm not sure if we have a definition of what a full meal is.

We recork bottles of wine for people to take home with them all the time at work...

[st.cronin]

Does Texas still have drive-through liquor stores?

[JeeberD]

I've seen drive-thru beer and wine stores, not sure about liquor though. But I've seen those in New Mexico...

[st.cronin]

That strikes me as one of the major indicators of a state that is uncivilized.

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Does Texas still have drive-through liquor stores?

There are drive-thru liquor stores everywhere. Even in Minnesota.

[sooner333]

or they could put the bottles in the trunk...isn't that nto included in open container laws?

I know when we moved from California to Oklahoma, my dad "sealed" his liquor and then put it in the trunk in a locked container.

[JeeberD]

I think the main thing is removing the alcohol from the restaurant, sooner...

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

That strikes me as one of the major indicators of a state that is uncivilized.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,50918,00.html

Creative Uses for the Drive-Thru Abound
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
By Catherine Donaldson-Evans


NEW YORK — "Hi, I'd like to order one civil ceremony, a photograph and two T-shirts, please."

"Would you like a flower for the bride with that?"

"Sure."

"OK, please drive around to the window."

A drive-thru wedding chapel may sound far-fetched, but it's a concept that's very much alive in places like Las Vegas.

In fact, it's just one of many creative uses of the drive-thru these days.

In suburban areas especially, the drive-thru has expanded way beyond fast-food chains: drive-thru liquor stores, dry cleaners, pharmacies, convenience stores and coffee shops are popping up with increasing frequency.

"We're moving into a drive-thru culture because time is money. We feel like we're cash-rich and time-poor," said consumer trends expert Marian Salzman, the strategy director of the marketing network EuroRSCG.

Texas boasts the most drive-thru liquor stores in the country. And despite legal controversy for drinking-and-driving-related reasons, they have also popped up in Maryland, Louisiana, Arizona and Hawaii, to name a few.

The business of drive-thru coffee shops, which are often Mom and Pop operations, are likely to start buzzing too, since Starbucks recently announced it was adding the feature to some stores.

Walgreen's was the first chain to build drive-thru pharmacies more than 11 years ago, but others like CVS and Rite Aid have latched onto the idea too.

"They're very popular," said Walgreen's spokeswoman Carol Hively. "If you have sick children or an elderly [patient] you need to pick up medicine for, or if you're sick yourself and don't feel like getting out of the car … It's faster to go through the drive-thru."

How do these car-friendly stores work? Basically just like the ones people have been using for years to order Big Macs and Whoppers in a hurry.

"We want to be able to do everything while we're mobile," Salzman said. "We're on the road, want to get a lot done and feel cramped for time. Cars have become our home away from home."

Salzman said she envisions the day when clothing stores, video rental shops, supermarkets and newsstands all offer a drive-thru option.

"We're living in a world of enormous to-do lists," she said. "You have a better chance of selling stuff to people when you push it through the car window."

Perhaps the most interesting drive-thrus are the wedding chapels — and even a casino or two where gamblers can place sports bets from their cars — dotting Sin City.

Places like Vegas' Chapel of Love, with its "Say I Do Drive-Thru," are for couples wanting to tie the knot fast, behind the wheel. They come decked out in marriage attire, drive to the window to order a ceremony (civil, Christian, etc.) and extras (flowers for the bride, photographs, T-shirts). Then an ordained minister leans out and performs the nuptials, which take about 10 minutes.

"So many people come here and feel leery about the wedding ceremony thing in the chapel — it's more comfortable for them to sit in the car and have it done," said Tiffani Floyd, an accountant at the chapel. "Some of them really get a kick out of it."

Skeptics would argue there should be limits on drive-thru mania and the wedding chapels are a perfect example of a trend run amok. After all, wouldn't getting married at a window cheapen the event?

"People do come in with that perception — they think it's cheap, think it's a mockery," Floyd said. "But once they're here and the officiate performs the ceremony, that validates it. It is a serious thing, and it's legal."

She said 35 percent of the 4,000 annual Chapel of Love marriage ceremonies happen at the drive-thru.

Many couples are vacationing in Vegas and decide spur-of-the-moment to get hitched. Others have wed before and want something different. A few are disabled. One couple drove up in an enormous camper, pets and children in tow.

Floyd said she's also heard numerous requests for the antithesis of a drive-thru wedding.

"So many people come and say, 'Is there a drive-thru divorce?'" she said. "I haven't seen one yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if I did."

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

There are drive-thru liquor stores everywhere. Even in Minnesota.

I've done a lot of traveling, but never to Minnesota.

I've seen these places in Wyoming, and heard they existed as well in Texas. I assure you they do not exist in MOST states.

[Cuckoo]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

I assure you they do not exist in MOST states.

You may want to be careful before you go assuring people. I would guess that they are around in a lot of states. Whether it's a majority of them or not, I don't know, but I'd guess it's quite a few.

From this thread alone, it looks like we've established Texas, Minnesota, Maryland, Arizona, Louisiana, and Hawaii. And I can add Oklahoma to the list as there is one where I went to college.

Edit: I should clarify that I don't know of any drive through liquor stores in Oklahoma, but I do know of one place that sells beer in a drive through.

Edit again: (I don't have time to really research it, but...) A quick search shows Ohio and Michigan also have drive through liquor stores.

Point is, I bet there are more than people would think.

[panerd]

Add Missouri to the list. I will join the crowd that thinks just about every state has them. Remember New York doesn't just have to be New York City, it could be some college bar up in Buffalo.

[sovereignstar]

Add North Carolina and South Carolina. I also found a thread on a message board where a guy claimed that he saw one in Wisconsin, so..

it's nice to see you admitting that you made a totally ignorant comment.

[Cuckoo]

Forgot to post earlier: I also found mention of them in Tennessee, Kentucky, Kansas, Colorado, and Arkansas.

Looks like the list continues to grow.

[sovereignstar]

Here's a user-friendly list. Where were you from again, st.cronin? Wisconsin, right?

Texas
Wyoming
Maryland
Louisiana
Arizona
Hawaii
Wisconsin
Oklahoma
Ohio
Michigan
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Kentucky
Kansas
Colorado
Arkansas

[st.cronin]

I don't know your reference but they are illegal in Wisconsin. I've worked as a bar manager in this town and they are expressly prohibited.

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

I don't know your reference but they are illegal in Wisconsin. I've worked as a bar manager in this town and they are expressly prohibited.

How civilized.

[ThunderingHERD]

How about googling it?

"New Mexico became the 27th state to ban drive-up liquor windows; drive-through liquor sales are still permitted by 23 states."