Blue laws

A number of "blue laws," which restrict the sale of alcohol on Sundays, are in effect in the Pensacola area.

Escambia County

County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 6, Article I, Section 6-1: Hours for sale or purchase.

It shall be unlawful to sell or purchase or engage in the business of selling or purchasing alcoholic beverages within the unincorporated areas of the county except during the following hours:

1. Alcoholic beverages may be sold or purchased on Monday through Saturday between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. of the following day.
2. On Sunday, alcoholic beverages may be sold or purchased between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. of the following day.
3. In restaurants and eating places serving full meals, the sale or purchase of alcoholic beverages shall be authorized between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday; such sale or purchase shall be authorized only in conjunction with the purchase of a meal.
4. Provided, however, that within the following areas of the county alcoholic beverages may be sold or purchased between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. of the following day:
1. All that area of Santa Rosa Island lying within the territory of the county.
2. All that area known as Perdido Key (formerly Gulf Beach) that lies between the county line on the west, the waters of the Gulf of Mexico on the south, the United States Government property on the east and the Intercoastal Waterway on the north.
5. After 2:30 a.m. no alcoholic beverages are to be sold or served but each establishment shall be allowed a 30-minute period to clear the establishment of all customers. After 3:00 a.m. only establishment employees engaged in cleanup operations are allowed to remain on the premises.

(Code 1985, § 1-2-2)

State law references: Power of board of county commissioners to regulate hours of sale, F.S. § 562.14(1).

Santa Rosa County

County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 3, Article I, Section 3-1: Hours of sale.

1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, no alcoholic beverages may be sold, consumed, served or permitted to be sold, served or consumed in any place holding an appropriate license under state law within the unincorporated areas of the county between the hours of 12:00 midnight on Saturday night of each week until 7:00 a.m. the following Monday morning. This subsection shall not apply to railroads selling only to passengers for consumption on railroad cars.
2. It shall be unlawful to sell or purchase or engage in the business of selling or purchasing alcoholic beverages within that portion of Santa Rosa Island lying within the county known as Navarre Beach, between the hours of 2:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day, of each day of the week. Any person selling alcoholic beverages on Navarre Beach for off-premise consumption shall post a notice of the hours that sales and purchases are allowed pursuant to this subsection.
3. The hours for the sale or purchase of alcoholic beverages which are legal to be sold in the South Santa Rosa County Tourist Development District shall be as follows:
1. South Santa Rosa Tourist Development District (Navarre Beach), 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., each day of the week.
2. South Santa Rosa Tourist Development District (mainland), 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight, Monday through Saturday, 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight, Sunday.

(Ord. No. 77-1, § 3, 1-27-77; Ord. No. 91-17, §§ 2, 3, 5-15-91; Ord. No. 91-19, § 4, 7-26-91)