Florida Responsible Vendor Program

Florida Responsible Vendor Program has its Qualifications Checklist for determining the degree to which a licensed vendor has met the qualifications. The Florida statutes that pertain to Responsible Vendor Training are Sections 561.701, 561.702, 561.703, 561.705, and 561.706, Florida statutes. The State of Florida created this program to encourage alcohol serving establishments and their staff to be and remain responsible and safe.

Click here for the qualifications checklist. (Note: Microsoft Word is required to view and print the checklist).

 

We now have the Florida Responsible Vendor Program (Proveedor responsable de Florida) explained in Spanish for businesses. We are very proud to offer our Florida Alcohol Seller Server Course in Spanish today.

Prevent your license from becoming suspended and you possibly losing money.

Benefits of Florida Responsible Vendor Program to you:

If you meet the requirements, the State of Florida may proclaim you as exempt from license suspension or revocation if someone on your staff makes a mistake. They also may give you a break when it comes to fines or fees for your employee's actions. Read the statute here: Florida Statutes 561.706

Qualifying as a Florida Responsible Vendor:

Here are steps to take to easily have your business meet the state's requirements. Florida DBPR Alcoholic Beverages - Florida Responsible Vendor Program logo

  1. Have your employees (those who sell or serve alcoholic beverages) take the Florida Alcohol Seller Server course. Keep their certificates in their employee file.
  2. Have your managers take the Responsible Alcohol Manager Course. Keep their certificates in their employee file.
  3. Document compliance by writing the employee's hire date on their certificate. The employee must take the Florida training within 30 days of their start date. The employee must be supervised before they have completed training. So, document who provided supervision on the employee's Florida training certificate as well.
  4. Document compliance by writing the manager's hire date on their certificate. Managers must complete the Responsible Alcohol Manager Course within 15 days of their start date.
  5. Document a meeting every 4 months with your staff to remain in compliance. The manager has to hold a meeting and discuss house policies related to the training. Use a sign-in sheet to show employee attendance.
  6. We provide the necessary employee agreement forms that can be downloaded and customized from our Responsible Alcohol Manager Course.
  7. Have your potential employees fill out page 8 of the Florida Liquor License Application.  It's under Section 10 -  Current Licensee Update Data Sheet.
  8. Establish a written policy under which any employee who engages in the illegal use of controlled substances on the licensed premises will be immediately dismissed from employment. Require each employee to sign and acknowledge this policy in writing.
  9. Keep a summary of meetings, employee events (training, agreements, reprimands) in the manager file. Keep supporting documentation, certificates, agreements, etc in the employee file. We also store their certificates online so they can be retrieved at any time.
  10. We provide the signs you need in our Responsible Alcohol Manager Course. You will just need to document where they are and the dates they were hung. You should also document compliance by adding an entry that you have checked these signs after each employee meeting. We recommend you take photographs of each of the signs when they are initially hung and each year after.
  11. Post signs about Florida state laws regarding underage alcohol sales. Zero Tolerance for underage drinking