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LEGOLAND® Florida Gets OK to Sell Alcohol
By Gary White
THE LEDGER
Thursday, May 24, 2012
BARTOW - LEGOLAND Florida received permission Thursday afternoon to sell
alcoholic beverages under a waiver granted by the Polk County Board of
Adjustment.
The board voted unanimously at its monthly meeting to grant a variance to a
county code barring sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks within 1,000 feet
of a school or church.
Merlin Entertainments Group, the corporate owner of the Winter Haven theme park,
applied in April for an exemption from the code. At least two churches are
inside that radius from the park’s boundaries, the county planning office said.
County planner Erik Peterson recommended approving the variance.
Polk County’s Board of Adjustment, a seven-member resident panel appointed by
the County Commission, has the authority to approve or deny requests for
deviations from guidelines in the county’s land development code.
LEGOLAND Florida opened last October at the former Cypress Gardens, a 150-acre
property outside the Winter Haven city boundaries.
Cypress Gardens, which closed in 2010, held a state license that allowed sales
of not only beer and wine but also liquor, according to the summary of Merlin’s
application. The summary, prepared by Polk County’s planning and development
department staff, says LEGOLAND Florida could have renewed that license under
“grandfathered” status without the board’s approval if Merlin had applied before
the end of March.
Merlin officials were not aware of the Cypress Gardens license before they
submitted their application, Peterson said.
LEGOLAND was seeking a narrower license that would not allow sale or consumption
of distilled spirits. Florida’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco
issues the licenses, but counties are free to set rules on where alcoholic
beverages may be sold and consumed.
The two churches within 1,000 feet of LEGOLAND boundaries are Heartland
Community Church and Cypress Ridge Presbyterian Church, both located on Cypress
Gardens Boulevard.
Though several bars and restaurants within the same radius are permitted to sell
alcoholic beverages, Section 224 of Polk County’s Land Development Code requires
a separate application for each establishment, Peterson said.
All of the major theme parks in the Orlando area sell alcoholic beverages, with
the exception of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
theledger.com
-end of report-
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