In Florida, the earliest you can buy liquor on Sunday is 7:00 a.m. under the statewide default, the same window that applies every other day of the week. But most Florida cities and counties set their own Sunday hours, and many push the liquor start time later — often to 11:00 a.m. or noon. Your actual start time depends on where in the state you are standing.
The 7:00 a.m. Statewide Floor
Florida law prohibits the sale, service, or consumption of alcohol at any licensed establishment between midnight and 7:00 a.m. the next day.1Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 562.14 – Regulating the Time for Sale of Alcoholic and Intoxicating Beverages; Prohibiting Use of Licensed Premises That window applies to Sundays too. If your county or city has not passed its own ordinance, you can buy liquor from 7:00 a.m. through midnight on Sunday.
In practice, the state rule works more like a floor that local governments are free to raise.
Why Local Hours Usually Control
Florida law explicitly gives counties and municipalities the power to regulate business hours for any establishment holding an alcohol license.2Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 562.45 – Penalties for Violating Beverage Law; Local Ordinances; Prohibiting Regulation of Certain Activities or Business Transactions; Requiring Nondiscriminatory Treatment; Providing Exceptions A city can push the Sunday start time later than 7:00 a.m., extend closing past midnight, or both. Some cities still have restrictive Sunday morning rules on the books that date to older blue laws. Others have repealed them.
Because the state delegates this authority, two neighboring cities in the same county can run completely different Sunday schedules.
Beer and Wine Often Start Before Liquor
A lot of Florida localities treat beer and wine differently from distilled spirits on Sundays. A city might allow beer and wine sales at 7:00 a.m. while holding liquor back until noon. This split shows up most often in rules covering stores and supermarkets rather than bars and restaurants.
Polk County’s unincorporated areas were a clear example. In 2018 the county expanded Sunday beer and wine sales for off-premise consumption to start at 7:00 a.m., while liquor stayed restricted to a noon start for several more years.3City of Winter Haven, Florida. Ordinance No. O-18-67 If you can walk out of a Florida grocery store on a Sunday morning with a six-pack but not a bottle of whiskey, a local split like this is almost always why.
Sunday Start Times in Major Florida Areas
These reflect the most recent available information. Local ordinances change, so confirm before you plan around a specific hour.
- Tampa: Alcohol sales begin at 7:00 a.m. on Sundays. The city council eliminated its longstanding Sunday blue law in December 2020.
- St. Petersburg: The city loosened its Sunday restrictions in 2017, allowing alcohol sales starting at 8:00 a.m. rather than the previous 11:00 a.m.
- Orlando: Beer and wine sales at many locations begin at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays, with liquor sales starting at noon. Specific rules depend on the license type.
- Miami-Dade County: Parts of unincorporated Miami-Dade allow alcohol sales around the clock, making it one of the most permissive areas in the state. Individual cities within the county set their own rules; Miami Beach has restricted late-night sales in certain entertainment districts.
- Tallahassee (Leon County): Liquor over 22 percent alcohol by volume cannot be sold between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. any day, so Sunday morning sales start at the 7:00 a.m. state default.
- Winter Haven: City commissioners voted unanimously in October 2023 to allow liquor sales starting at 7:00 a.m. on Sundays. Beer and wine at 7:00 a.m. was already permitted.3City of Winter Haven, Florida. Ordinance No. O-18-67
The general direction across Florida has been toward loosening Sunday rules, but plenty of smaller cities and unincorporated areas still use a noon start for liquor.
One Dry County to Know About
At least one Florida county, Lafayette, is considered dry and prohibits liquor sales within its borders. If you are there, no Sunday start time applies because liquor is not sold any day of the week. Lafayette is small and rural, in north-central Florida, and the vast majority of Florida’s 67 counties are fully wet.
Holidays and Hurricane Suspensions
Florida has no statewide ban on alcohol sales for holidays like Christmas or New Year’s Day. If a holiday falls on a Sunday, your local Sunday hours apply. Cities and counties can pass their own holiday restrictions, so check locally if you are planning a holiday purchase.
One restriction catches people off guard: Florida authorities can suspend alcohol sales entirely during declared emergencies, most commonly hurricanes. If a storm is approaching, do not count on a last-minute run to the store. Emergency sales bans can take effect quickly.
How to Confirm Your Local Sunday Hours
Because the real answer depends on your city or county, check directly with local government. Start on your city or county’s official website and search for “alcohol ordinance” or “beverage sales hours.” Many Florida municipalities post their code of ordinances through Municode or eLaws, where you can open the alcoholic beverages chapter.
If the website is not clear, call the city clerk or county administration office. They can tell you the exact Sunday start time for on-premise locations like bars and restaurants and for off-premise locations like liquor stores and supermarkets. That distinction matters, because some cities let bars pour earlier than stores can sell packaged liquor, or the reverse.