The Florida Senate

561.705  Responsible vendor qualification.--To qualify as a responsible vendor, the vendor must:

(1)  Provide a course of instruction for its employees that must include subjects dealing with alcoholic beverages and may also include subjects dealing with controlled substances as follows:

(a)  Laws covering the service of alcoholic beverages and the operation of establishments serving alcoholic beverages.

(b)  Alcohol or controlled substances or both as a drug and its effects on the body and behavior, including its effects on a person operating a motor vehicle.

(c)  Effects of alcohol in combination with commonly used drugs, both legal and illegal.

(d)  Methods of recognizing and dealing with underaged customers.

(e)  Methods for dealing with customers, and for dealing with employees, who use or traffic in illegal drugs.

(2)  Provide an alcohol server management course for managers of establishments that sell alcoholic beverages. The course must include subjects on alcoholic beverages and may include subjects on controlled substances as follows:

(a)  Laws governing the service of alcoholic beverages and the operation of establishments serving alcoholic beverages.

(b)  Development of standard operating procedures for dealing with underaged customers.

(c)  Development of standard operating procedures for dealing with customers, and for dealing with employees, who use or traffic in illegal drugs.

(d)  Methods of assisting employees in dealing with underaged customers and in maintaining records that relate to such incidents.

(3)  Require each nonmanagerial employee who is employed to serve alcoholic beverages to complete the employee training course specified in subsection (1) within 30 days after commencing employment. The vendor must provide for the supervision of such an employee in the service of alcoholic beverages until the employee has received such training.

(4)  Require each managerial employee to complete the managerial training course specified in subsection (2) within 15 days after commencing employment.

(5)  Require all employees to attend one meeting every 4 months. Each meeting must include the dissemination of information covering the applicable subjects specified in this section and an explanation of the vendor's policies and procedures relating to those subjects.

(6)  Require each employee, as a condition of her or his initial employment, to complete a written questionnaire providing the vendor the same information as is required by the division from persons who apply for alcoholic beverage licenses and to determine therefrom whether the employee is precluded by law from serving or selling alcoholic beverages; however, employees of vendors licensed under s. 563.02(1)(a) or s. 564.02(1)(a) shall not be subject to the requirements of this subsection.

(7)  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 and require each employee to acknowledge the policy in writing.

(8)  Maintain employment records of the applications, acknowledgments, and training of its employees required by this section and records of the vendor's enforcement of the policies requiring dismissal specified in subsection (7).

(9)  Post signs on the vendor's premises informing customers of the vendor's policy against serving alcoholic beverages to underaged persons and informing customers that the purchase of alcoholic beverages by an underaged person or the illegal use of or trafficking in controlled substances will result in ejection from the premises and prosecution.

History.--s. 5, ch. 89-107; s. 19, ch. 91-60; s. 2, ch. 96-419; s. 1180, ch. 97-103.