High Springs voters will officially determine whether or not breweries can open on Sundays after 1 p.m. following the City Commission’s approval of a second reading for ballot language to amend its alcohol ordinance during a special meeting on Thursday.
Commissioner Katherine Weitz’s motion to approve the updated ballot language passed 3-0, with Commissioner Wayne Bloodsworth Jr. seconding it, and Mayor Tristan Grunder and Commissioner Chad Howell absent.
On Nov. 4, citizens will vote whether to amend ordinance section 10-2(c)-(e) and permit businesses and breweries manufacturing malt beverages on site to be open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 1-10 p.m.
“This isn’t a specific thing just for [High Springs Brewing Company], it creates almost a carve out for breweries, plural,” said City Attorney Danielle Adams.
The ongoing debate in High Springs over repealing its alcohol ordinance resurfaced in June during a meeting with the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC).
The city’s “Hours of Sale” ordinance currently allows for beer, wine and liquor to be sold in restaurants on Sundays, except after 1 p.m. Establishments like breweries that make less than 51% in gross revenue from food must petition the city for a special permit to sell alcohol outside those hours.
The city also prohibits such establishments from selling alcohol within 500 feet of religious institutions.
Some commissioners and residents raised concerns at the BOCC meeting about how the law negatively impacted one business, High Springs Brewing Company, and the revenue it could generate for the city if allowed to be open after 1 p.m. on Sundays.
The commission directed Adams to draft ballot language that would remove current restrictions on alcohol sales, specifically Sunday restrictions keeping businesses closed, and approved a first reading of it during the City Commission’s July 22 meeting.
High Springs is the only city in Alachua County that does not permit the sale of alcohol on Sundays after 1 p.m.