Starting a brewery or winery in Florida is exciting—you're bringing your craft to life, building a brand, and creating a gathering place for your community. But before you can pour that first pint or uncork your debut vintage, you need to navigate Florida's insurance and licensing requirements. Here's the thing: these aren't just bureaucratic hoops to jump through. They're safeguards that protect your business, your employees, and your customers. Let's break down exactly what you need to know.
The Surety Bond You Can't Skip
Before we even talk about insurance, let's address the surety bond requirement that trips up many first-time brewery and winery owners. Under Florida Statutes Sections 561.37, 561.371, and 562.25, you absolutely cannot get your alcoholic beverage manufacturing license without posting a surety bond. No exceptions. No license gets issued without this bond in place.
The bond amount depends on what you're making. If you're operating a brewery producing malt beverages (beer), you'll need a $20,000 surety bond. Wine and cordials manufacturers need a $5,000 bond. These bonds guarantee that you'll pay all Florida state taxes owed on the beverages you produce and distribute. Think of it as the state's insurance policy against you—a promise that tax obligations will be met even if your business runs into trouble.
One critical detail: you need a separate bond for each type of license or permit. If your business model includes both brewing and wine production, you'll need bonds for each. And if your bond expires or gets cancelled, you're immediately prohibited from conducting any further business transactions until it's reinstated. Keep that renewal date on your calendar.
Workers' Compensation: Four Employees Is the Magic Number
Florida law requires workers' compensation insurance for any non-construction business with four or more employees. That employee count includes everyone: full-time staff, part-time taproom servers, seasonal harvest workers, and even corporate officers or LLC members. Once you hit that fourth employee, you're legally required to carry coverage.
The good news? Workers' comp rates in Florida have been dropping for nine consecutive years. In 2026, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation approved a 6.9% rate decrease, with an average 1.5% reduction in base premiums statewide. Since 2003, rates have fallen a cumulative 78% thanks to private market competition and improved workplace safety efforts. For brewery and winery owners, this trend makes budgeting for this mandatory coverage more manageable.
Wineries are typically classified under class code 2143 (Winery and Drivers), while breweries fall into similar hospitality classifications alongside bars and taverns. Your specific classification affects your premium rates, so it's worth discussing with your insurance agent to ensure accurate classification. In 2025, the maximum weekly benefit for temporary total disability is capped at $1,295, representing two-thirds of an employee's average weekly wage.
If you're operating as a sole proprietor or partnership with fewer than four employees, you're automatically exempt from mandatory coverage—but you can elect to be covered. Given the physical nature of brewing and winemaking (heavy equipment, hot liquids, repetitive tasks), voluntary coverage is worth considering even if you're under the threshold.
General Liability: Your First Line of Defense
General liability insurance isn't technically mandated by Florida state law, but it's essentially non-negotiable for any brewery or winery. This coverage protects you against claims of bodily injury, property damage, and personal injury that occur on your premises or result from your operations. A customer slips on a wet floor in your taproom? General liability. Someone's property is damaged during a keg delivery? General liability. A guest claims false advertising? That's covered too.
While the state doesn't set minimum coverage amounts, your practical requirements will come from other sources. Landlords routinely require tenants to carry general liability with limits of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. Lenders often impose similar requirements. Distribution contracts may demand even higher limits. If you're leasing a commercial space or working with any institutional partners, expect to need proof of general liability coverage before you can sign on the dotted line.
Brewpubs with taprooms face particularly high exposure. Higher foot traffic means more opportunities for customer accidents. Crowded tasting rooms, outdoor seating areas, brewery tours—each presents unique liability risks. A coastal brewery might need stronger flood coverage in their property policy, while a high-volume urban taproom might need higher liability limits to match their customer traffic. Your insurance should be tailored to your specific operation.
Liquor Liability: Local Requirements You Can't Ignore
Here's where things get interesting. Florida doesn't have a statewide law requiring liquor liability insurance. But before you breathe a sigh of relief, understand this: many cities, counties, and local liquor boards require proof of liquor liability coverage before they'll issue or renew your alcoholic beverage license. It's a patchwork of local requirements that effectively makes liquor liability insurance mandatory for most Florida breweries and wineries.
Even if your specific municipality doesn't require it, liquor liability is critical protection. Under Florida's dram shop law (Section 768.125), your business can be held liable for injuries or damages caused by intoxicated patrons if it's proven they were over-served on your premises or if you served a minor or someone habitually addicted to alcohol. A drunk driving accident involving someone who left your taproom? Without liquor liability coverage, you're facing potential liability from your own pocket.
Importantly, liquor liability is not covered under general liability policies. You need a separate policy specifically for liquor-related claims. Rates can be surprisingly affordable—starting as low as $37 per month according to some Florida insurers—but costs vary based on your sales volume, hours of operation, and whether you serve food. Landlords and event venues routinely require liquor liability as a condition of doing business, making it practically essential regardless of legal mandates.
Product Liability: Protecting Your Reputation and Assets
Product liability insurance covers claims arising from product recalls, contamination, quality issues, or any harm caused by consuming your beer or wine. This isn't just about worst-case scenarios like someone getting sick from contaminated product (though that's certainly covered). It also protects you from lawsuits related to labeling errors, allergen disclosures, or even foreign objects in bottles.
The beverage industry faces unique product liability risks. A batch contamination could require recalling thousands of units across multiple counties or states. The costs of the recall itself—retrieving products, destroying inventory, notifying customers—can be devastating. Add in legal defense costs if someone files a lawsuit, and you're looking at potentially business-ending expenses. Product liability coverage handles recall costs, legal expenses, and settlements or judgments.
For breweries and wineries distributing beyond their taproom, product liability becomes even more critical. Once your products are on store shelves or restaurant menus, you lose direct control over storage conditions and serving practices. Product liability insurance provides peace of mind that your business can survive a recall or quality claim without financial ruin.
Additional Coverage Worth Considering
Beyond the core coverages, several additional policies deserve consideration. Property insurance protects your building, brewing or winemaking equipment, inventory, and other physical assets against fire, theft, vandalism, and weather damage. Specialized brewing equipment—fermentation tanks, bottling lines, barrel storage—represents a massive capital investment that needs protection.
Equipment breakdown insurance (also called boiler and machinery coverage) covers mechanical or electrical failure of your brewing systems, refrigeration units, or other essential equipment. When a glycol chiller fails during fermentation or a bottling line breaks down, you're not just facing repair costs—you're losing production time and potentially entire batches. This coverage helps minimize the financial impact.
Business interruption insurance provides income replacement if you're forced to temporarily close due to a covered loss. A fire in your production facility doesn't just mean rebuilding costs—it means months without revenue while you're closed. Business interruption coverage helps pay ongoing expenses like payroll, rent, and loan payments while you're getting back on your feet.
How to Get Started with Your Coverage
The insurance landscape for breweries and wineries is specialized, and working with an agent who understands your industry makes a real difference. Look for agents or brokers who have experience with craft beverage operations and can bundle appropriate coverages into a comprehensive package. Many insurers offer specialized brewery or winery packages that combine general liability, product liability, property, and equipment breakdown coverage at better rates than purchasing each separately.
Start the insurance process early—ideally before you sign a lease or apply for your alcoholic beverage license. Your landlord will want proof of insurance before handing over keys, and the licensing process can be delayed if you don't have required coverage and surety bonds in place. Build insurance costs into your business plan from day one so you're not caught off guard by premium expenses.
Florida's insurance requirements for breweries and wineries combine mandatory state-level obligations (surety bonds, workers' comp), local licensing requirements (liquor liability in many jurisdictions), and practical necessities driven by landlords, lenders, and business partners (general liability, product liability). Yes, it's a lot to manage. But each piece serves a purpose: protecting your business, your team, your customers, and the dream you're building. Get your coverage in order, and you can focus on what you do best—crafting exceptional beer and wine.
