Washington County’s days of being a dry county may be numbered as petitions to include the sale of liquor on a special ballot have begun arriving in the mailboxes of county voters, and interest is generating quickly, according to a story by WMBB-TV in Panama City, Florida.
Javier Valdovinos, the owner of Javier’s Mexican Grill in Chipley, said that not being able to serve liquor in his Mexican restaurant has been a challenge.
“It would be a lot better if people walking in who say ‘I want a gold top-shelf margarita, I want a shot of tequila’ and then if we have it, it’s gonna be better,” said Valdovinos.
Washington County is one of Florida’s three remaining dry counties, along with Liberty County and Lafayette County. However, Advance Washington County, a local economic development committee, recently drafted a petition to change that.
According to our media partner, The Washington County News, the petition must gain the signature of 25-percent of Washington County’s registered voters in order for the issue to be placed on the ballot.
Brandon and Jennifer Tompkins, the owners of BJ’s Grill – Burgers and More!, said that allowing the sale of liquor would do wonders for the county’s economy.
“If you look at it from a revenue standpoint, Washington County needs the revenue,” Jennifer said. “It would bring so many more businesses like the chains, plus it would just open up for the local mom and pop’s like us that option to do more.”
Brandon added that they only serve breakfast and lunch right now, but allowing liquor sales would give them the option of being open for dinner.
The deadline to gain the needed signatures is at the end of September.
“We just want the town to be progressed. We don’t need to keep Chipley like the old Chipley, we need to have a new Chipley. We need to have better things to do in town,” said Valdovinos.
Brandon Lovering of Advance Washington County stresses that the purpose of the initiative remains about economic development.
“People get very caught up in this is an alcohol issue, and of course, that is part of it, but if we are ever going to grow as a community with new jobs, new restaurants, and opportunities that people all seem to want, this is the first step in allowing those type of business to come here,” said Lovering.
“I have spoken over the past few months with commercial appraisers who say there are businesses looking at properties along I-10, and one of the economic drivers they look at is whether the site is in a wet or dry county, even if that business isn’t going to sell alcohol. It’s an economic driver because it tells the businesses if the doors are open in the county for growth, that there are a lot of businesses that will follow other businesses.”
Lovering went on to add that several businesses that have rejected Washington County in favor of Holmes could have factored the county’s dry status as one of their reasons.
“This is not about stand-alone bars,” he added. “There are actually measures in place that prevent those. This petition is to allow for restaurants that have 51 percent of revenues from food sales to be able to serve alcohol. The other vote is for package stores.”
The number of package store locations allowed to sell alcohol is limited by population at one license for every 7,500 residents.
With the last U.S. Census data showing Washington County as having a population of approximately 24,896, that would mean no more than three licenses available for stores. Restaurants that derive more than 51 percent of revenue from food sales and have available seating for 150 or more in at least 2,500 square ft. may obtain a special license to sell beer, wine, and liquor for consumption on premise.
Other factors, such as zoning requirements and a 500-ft. setback from schools, will also apply.
“If we’re talking about generating tax revenue, this is a start,” said Lovering. “At some point, maybe we will get to lower our millage rate on our property taxes if we have revenue from other sources. Lastly, this is an issue that the voters should be able to decide on. One of the rights afforded to us is the right to choose and voice our opinion on issues and the right to vote.”
Currently, Washington, Lafayette, and Liberty counties are Florida’s only remaining dry counties.
The deadline for the required petitions to be certified is October 15.
- Excerpts Courtesy WMBB-TV, Washington County Newspaper, Washington County Chamber