Florida bars can reopen starting Monday, limited to 50% capacity

Bars across Florida will be allowed to reopen starting Monday, Sept. 14, and serve alcohol for on-site consumption for the first time since June, when the bars were closed due the coronavirus.

 Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears made the announcement Thursday night.

“In meetings with hundreds of owners of bars and breweries across the state, I’ve heard their stories of struggle, and I’ve observed their serious commitment to making health and safety a continuing priority in their businesses,” Beshears said in a news release. “It’s time that we take this step, and it’s vital that we start moving forward with this sector of our hospitality industry who have endured one of the toughest paths for sustaining a business during this pandemic.”

During the closure, bars, pubs and breweries have been allowed to serve cocktails in to-go containers for guests, which normally is not allowed. Bars will still be able to do that as long as Florida is under a state of emergency, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Beshears made the announcement hours after appearing with DeSantis for a roundtable discussion about the restaurant industry.

During the roundtable, DeSantis said changes could be coming to increasing indoor restaurant capacity from the current 50% to 100%. He had no additional details or a specific timetable. Many business owners have been asking for the increase in capacity saying their businesses are struggling because of the reduced capacity.

The change is taking place as daily reported cases have been dropping. The latest positivity rate reported by the Florida Department of Health was 5.54% for new cases only and excludes anyone who previously tested positive. For all cases including retests of those previously infected, the latest positivity rate is 7.19%. You can review the latest statewide data here.