Florida Senate - 2025                                     SB 940
       
       
        
       By Senator McClain
       
       
       
       
       
       9-00634A-25                                            2025940__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to third-party restaurant reservation
    3         platforms; creating s. 509.104, F.S.; defining terms;
    4         prohibiting a third-party restaurant reservation
    5         platform from listing, advertising, promoting, or
    6         selling a reservation for a food service establishment
    7         if no relationship or contract exists to offer or
    8         arrange such services; authorizing the Division of
    9         Hotels and Restaurants of the Department of Business
   10         and Professional Regulation to impose a specified
   11         civil penalty; providing an effective date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Section 509.104, Florida Statutes, is created to
   16  read:
   17         509.104 Restaurant reservation platforms.—
   18         (1) As used in this section, the term:
   19         (a) “Food service establishment” has the same meaning as
   20  the term “public food service establishment” as defined in s.
   21  509.013(5).
   22         (b) “Third-party restaurant reservation platform” means any
   23  website, mobile application, or other Internet service that:
   24         1. Offers or arranges for reservations for on-premises
   25  service for a customer at a food service establishment; and
   26         2. Is owned and operated by a person other than the owner
   27  of such food service establishment.
   28         (2) A third-party restaurant reservation platform may not
   29  list, advertise, promote, or sell reservations for a food
   30  service establishment through the website, mobile application,
   31  or other Internet service of such third-party restaurant
   32  reservation platform if the platform has no contractual
   33  relationship or agreement with the food service establishment,
   34  or its contractual designee, to offer or arrange for
   35  reservations for on-premises service at such food service
   36  establishment.
   37         (3) The division may impose a civil penalty on a third
   38  party restaurant reservation platform in an amount not to exceed
   39  $1,000 for each violation of this section or of a division rule
   40  implementing this section. Violations under this subsection
   41  accrue on a daily basis for each day and for each food service
   42  establishment in which there has been a violation of this
   43  section or a division rule.
   44         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.