TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – As the 2015 college football season kicked off this past weekend, college students and football fans around the state packed coolers, prepped grills and geared up to tailgate, a pre-game tradition that has become a part of the game.
Tailgating festivities often include alcoholic beverages, and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation's Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT) will be monitoring tailgaters around the state at college games to ensure compliance with Florida Beverage Law.
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While prevention and education are preferred methods for protecting our youth, ABT will have agents patrolling football games throughout the state this football season to enforce state laws and encourage safe tailgating.
"Our state has some of the best college football teams in the nation and football season is a time to come together and cheer on our favorite teams," said DBPR Secretary Ken Lawson. "The Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco is committed to keeping football season safe and fun for everyone by keeping alcohol and tobacco out of the hands of underage persons. ABT has a zero tolerance policy for underage drinking, especially at our Florida colleges and universities during football season."
ABT began its enforcement initiatives this past weekend as the college football season kicked off around the state. ABT's Bureau of Law Enforcement made 19 arrests at the University of Central Florida campus for possession of alcohol by underage persons, 16 arrests in the vicinity of the Florida State University campus for possession of alcohol by underage persons and five arrests at the University of Florida, four or which were for the possession of alcohol by underage persons.
ABT will continue its enforcement efforts at the following schools around the state to ensure compliance with Florida Beverage Law:
- Florida Atlantic University
- Florida International University
- Florida State University
- University of Central Florida
- University of Florida
- University of Miami
- University of South Florida
In addition to monitoring events for underage drinking, ABT's game day enforcement operations are also focused on ensuring compliance at licensed establishments in the vicinity of college campuses, including proper identification and age verification of patrons when alcoholic beverages are sold.
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation's mission is to license efficiently and regulate fairly. The Department licenses and regulates more than one million businesses and professionals ranging from hotels and restaurants, real estate agents and accountants to veterinarians, contractors and cosmetologists. For more information, please visit www.myfloridalicense.com.