Pasco County is looking at lifting its ban on the Sunday morning sales of alcoholic beverages.
Currently, packaged alcoholic beverages cannot be sold before 11 a.m., on Sundays in unincorporated areas of the county.
But, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey thinks the time has arrived for the county to change that.
“A lot of counties in the state and around the country have kind of moved away from this old-fashioned law,” Starkey said.
Starkey said constituents have told her they’d like to get rid of the restriction.
She said she herself has witnessed people milling around in the grocery store, waiting to purchase the alcohol they want to take with them — when they’re heading out to go boating, or scalloping or to another activity.
She also thinks the rule should change, so that people who are doing their grocery shopping on Sunday mornings can pick up the alcohol they wish to purchase.
“In Pasco County, you cannot buy any kind of alcohol on Sunday before 11 (a.m.),” Starkey said.
She raised the issued at the Pasco County Commission’s Sept. 8 meeting, suggesting the board request a change to the county’s ordinance.
No one objected, so Starkey suggested County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder come back to the board, to allow earlier alcohol sales on Sundays.
Steinsnyder responded: “If the idea is that you want to treat Sunday the same way you are treating the rest of the week days, that’s what I would do. So, your alcohol sales for every day of the week, would also apply to Sunday. Sunday wouldn’t have special hours.”
Starkey said: “That would be my recommendation.”
The county attorney said the request would be put on the list of board requests, and the proposed change will come back as an introduction to the ordinance, to be sure the board is happy with it, before a public hearing is advertised.
Currently, packaged alcohol beverages may be sold between 11 a.m. and 2 a.m., on Sunday and from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., on the other days of the week.
Published September 16, 2020
