Pinellas County Liquor Licenses for Sale

Types of Pinellas County Liquor Licenses

In order to provide alcohol to customers at your establishment, you must have a Pinellas County alcohol license. Located along Florida’s west-central coast, Pinellas County has close to 975,000 residents. The county seat is Clearwater, and Pinellas County’s largest city is St. Petersburg. Many people visit Pinellas County to go to Clearwater Beach, St. Pete Pier, and the Sunken Gardens. There are also many events held throughout the year in Pinellas Park. 

For businesses to sell alcohol legally to customers, we offer online Pinellas County liquor license auctions for the following permit types:

• 4COP: Permits restaurants and bars to sell all liquor -- beer, wine, and spirits -- for consumption on-premises in Pinellas County. 
• 3PS: Permits liquor stores to sell all liquor -- beer, wine, and spirits -- for consumption off-premises in Pinellas County, Florida.

Each Florida liquor license grants the holder the right to sell in a specific Florida county, such as Pinellas. Liquor licenses are not transferable between counties. They are, however, transferable between owners, which means you can legally buy or sell any Pinellas County alcohol license.

How to Buy a Pinellas County Liquor License

Buyers may purchase a Pinellas County alcohol license in one of two ways. One option is to get an alcohol permit directly from the AB&T, and the other way is to go through a liquor license broker, such as Liquor License Auctioneers, on the secondary market. 

Due to the lack of available quota alcohol licenses in Pinellas County, Florida, buyers will usually have to obtain a liquor license from the open market. Even still, they may have to wait until a seller is ready to sell a liquor license to them in Pinellas County, Florida.

We are proud to be the only online auction platform for Pinellas County liquor licenses. During our years of experience in this industry, we’ve networked with many other people in this field and have built lasting relationships with both lawyers and business entrepreneurs. These connections have given us the ability to offer select Pinellas County alcohol licenses that no other alcohol permit broker can offer for sale. Having these exclusive alcohol licenses on our bidding platform allows us to price them fairly. If you need a specific type of Pinellas County alcohol permit, please let us know, and our liquor license brokers will locate one for you through our network of connections.

Both the buyer and the seller must complete the following eight steps to properly transfer the Pinellas County liquor license. 

1. Set a Price for the Liquor License: The seller will decide on a price that they are willing to sell the Pinellas County liquor license for, and this price will include the auction fee. Once the asking price is determined, the seller will offer this price to the buyer.
2. Create a Purchase Agreement: A Purchase Agreement will need to be signed and dated by both the seller and the buyer if they agree to the price of the Pinellas County alcohol license. 
3. Pay 10% of the Cost of the Liquor License Upfront: The Pinellas County alcohol license will be removed from the auction once the buyer puts 10% of the cost of the liquor license into an Attorney Trust Account. The closing date for the sale of the Pinellas County liquor license will be selected at this time.
4. Prepare the Bill of Sale & All Closing Documents: The seller’s escrow agent or attorney can assist them in completing the Closing Documents, the Bill of Sale, the Alcohol License Transfer Affidavit, and other documents for the AB&T Application. Once these are complete, the buyer may have their attorney or escrow agent place these forms in escrow until the set closing date.   
5. Seller Pays Transfer Fees: If any transfer fees have accrued, they will come out of the seller’s profit at the time of the closing of the sale of the Pinellas County alcohol license.
6. Buyer pays the AB&T Annual License Fee: The prorated annual license fee can be paid by the buyer or their attorney or escrow agent. This fee is paid at the closing date, along with a closing statement. The amount due can be paid to the seller’s attorney with a Bank Check, Bank Wire, Cashier’s Check, or an Attorney’s Trust Account Check. 
7. Closing the Bill of Sale: At the closing of the sale, the buyer will receive the Closing Statement, the original Bill of Sale, the Affidavit of Transferor, and the other documents for the AB&T Application from the seller’s attorney or escrow agent.
8. Submit Transfer of Liquor License Application Documents to AB&T: The buyer’s attorney or escrow agent can help them submit the AB&T Application. Then the buyer can place the Pinellas County alcohol license in escrow with the Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (AB&T) until they are ready to sell alcohol. If the business location is ready to sell or serve liquor, then the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (AB&T) will send the buyer a temporary Pinellas County alcohol permit.  

Liquor License Auctioneers can help buyers secure a liquor license in Pinellas County in the following nine steps.

1. Secure the location: Choose where you’d like to open your business, and decide whether you will lease, rent, or purchase the business premises.
2. Select your liquor license: Based on the kind of establishment you are opening, you’ll need to decide which Pinellas County alcohol license is best for your business. Once you choose which quota alcohol license you need, you’ll either purchase it from the AB&T or from a liquor license broker, like Liquor License Auctioneers. 
3. Survey the location: Your business establishment must be inspected by a contractor, or you can have our liquor license brokers complete this step for you.
4. Complete your AB&T Application: Along with the AB&T Application, certain forms and documents need to be sent in for approval to the Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (AB&T). These additional requirements are as follows, get zoning approval, health and human resources approval, paying a fee, originating agency identification number, including a blueprint of the business location, service agreements, providing a right of occupancy, fingerprints, Department of Revenue Approval, registering with the Florida Division of Corporations, filing all related-party personal information, and management contracts. 
5. Submit your AB&T Application: Send the completed DBPR AB&T Application and the forms to the division district office of Pinellas County, Florida, to be approved. 
6. Post the temporary initial license: If you paid a fee for a temporary Pinellas County alcohol license, the AB&T will send you the temporary alcohol permit, and you must display it prominently at your place of business until you receive the official liquor license.
7. AB&T Application Review: The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (AB&T) will review and approve your AB&T Application and will add all the documents to their data system.
8. Submit to investigation: The AB&T will need to do a final survey of your business location to be sure that your establishment is up to code to sell alcohol to customers.
9. Receive the liquor license: If you’ve passed all eight prior steps, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) will approve your AB&T Application for a Pinellas County liquor license. At this time, they will send the bill, which the buyer will need to pay before receiving the Pinellas County liquor license. Once payment is received, the DBPR AB&T will mail the Pinellas County alcohol license to the business owner, who will need to post the official liquor license at the business premises. 

Completing the aforementioned nine steps will meet the requirements set by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (AB&T). The more closely you follow these steps, the quicker you’ll receive the alcohol license for Pinellas County. To ensure that you obtain the liquor license efficiently, check with your local municipality to see if they have any additional regulations or stipulations to acquire a liquor license in Clearwater, Florida. 

With the abundance of businesses seeking liquor licenses in Pinellas County, Florida, finding the best way to acquire an alcohol permit in Pinellas County is critical. Select our unique auction platform, exceptional customer service, and honest business practices when purchasing your alcohol license in Pinellas County. Let us know if you don’t see the specific alcohol permit that you are looking for, and we can locate it for you. Browse our live auctions happening in real-time, and place a bid on a liquor license in Pinellas County.