In Santa Rosa County, a liquor store has to be 2,500 ft. Away from a school or a church. The only places inside the City of Gulf Breeze that meet that county ordinance are at the openings of Gulf Breeze: right of the Pensacola Bay Bridge or maybe in what is now referred to as the Office Deport shopping area.
WEAR TV 3 reports that Publix got a county variance to open its liquor store that is next to St. Ann’s Catholic Church and GB High School.
Channel three’s Greg Neumann has been following this story and is live in gulf breeze with more on this issue.
I’m in the parking lot of the new publix store, and if you look over my right, you’ll see Saint Ann’s Catholic Church right next door.
Right across the street are gulf breeze’s three public schools.
Thats what has other area liquor store owners possibly upset.
When Ian Kaple and his partners decided to expand Aloha Wine And Liquors into South Santa Rosa County, he never even thought about setting up shop in Gulf Breeze proper.
The county ordinance was written where you have to be 2500 ft. Away from a school or a church. And theres no place in Gulf Breeze with all the schools and the churches where that would have been a possibility.
So Ian moved in further down Highway 98. But he was shocked when the city council gave Publix a variance to open a liquor store here.
I know Gulf Breeze has courted a Publix for years and years and years, and it just seems like what Publix wanted Publix got.
It was not so much Publix, it’s just they made a request and its part of their operation.
Said Gulf Breeze Mayor Lane Gilchrist is the only business that asked about a variance.
There’s a very set procedure and the council is bound by law to entertain any requests for a variance for that… And thats the only one we’ve ever had.
Gilchrist says there were no objections from church leaders or school officials, and Publix agreed not to promote the liquor store on its marquee… But Ian Kaple doubts the same request would have been granted to him, fellow Gulf Breeze businessman John Schuster agrees.
It really has nothing to do with Publix… What it has to do with, as far as I’m concerned, is favoritism. I’m a business owner in Gulf Breeze, and if you’re going to create laws and ordinances, then it should be fair for everyone across the board.
It is big business wins again I suppose.
Ian Kaple says his profits are already down since Publix opened… So it was very apparent, when he had an average Memorial Day Weekend.
Visit WEAR TV 3 website.