Shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic began, the state of Florida began allowing restaurants and other food businesses to sell alcoholic drinks in sealed containers for takeout and delivery. The idea was to give restaurants struggling to survive an additional way to make money. Now, those rules are part of Florida law.

On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that allows restaurants with alcohol licenses to sell sealed drinks, as long as the sales are accompanied by a food order. The bill earned nearly unanimous support in the Florida Legislature. In a statement, DeSantis called the new law "an important measure to continue the positive economic impacts of a temporary order."

In an April press release, Carol Dover, the president and chief executive officer of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, called the sale of to-go drinks "an important source of revenue for restaurants that are struggling to survive."