I guess I was as surprised as anyone when Flomaton Mayor Dewey Bondurant Jr., proposed a resolution Monday night to allow the sale of alcohol within the town limits of Flomaton on Sundays. But I think it's a great move for the citizens of Flomaton.
First off, it will be at least March before such a law can be passed by the Alabama Legislature. Why towns and cities need to get approval to govern their owns towns still puzzles me, but as the law stands now, the Flomaton Town Council can't make that decision. Makes no sense, but there's a lot about politics that don't make much sense.
Mayor Bondurant told the council he got the idea while talking with Atmore Mayor Jim Staff. Atmore and Flomaton are in the same boat that both municipal town limits end at the Florida state line. When I talked with Mayor Staff he said he was tired of seeing tax dollars cross the state line into Florida. People from Atmore were flocking to Florida to buy beer and then coming right back into Atmore.
Atmore got its Sunday alcohol sales approved about six months ago. The city passed a unanimous resolution while the Legislature was still in session, sent it to the Escambia County legislative delegation of State Rep. Alan Baker, State Rep. Mike Jones and State Sen. Greg Albritton. With the unanimous support of the Atmore City Council it was clear sailing through the Legislature.
Rep. Baker told me Flomaton's proposal to begin selling alcohol on Sundays may be a little more difficult since Councilman Roger Adkinson voted no and although the ordinance passed, it didn't have unanimous support.
Rep. Baker told me that the legislative delegation doesn't want to get involved in local politics so if there is dissension in a vote on the local level to pass local legislation, they pause. Rep. Baker did tell me that the fact it wasn't a unanimous vote didn't mean it wouldn't be passed in the Legislature, but said it creates a lot of hurdles.
Over the years as I've watched the Legislature, if the Legislative delegation of one county proposes and sponsors a bill the rest of the Legislators go along with it. It's that quid pro quo aspect of state government: you support my stuff and I'll support yours.
Mayor Staff told me the businesses in Atmore, especially the grocery stores, have seen a dramatic increase in business on Sundays since the Sunday alcohol sales were approved. That business turns into tax dollars going into the Atmore coffers instead of the Escambia County, Fla., coffers.
It's not just the beer sales for the grocery stores, but the groceries themselves. That Sunday evening cookout of ribs, beans and beer were all being bought across the state line for that one-stop shopping.
Granted, Flomaton doesn't have a grocery store, but it does have many stores that sell beer Monday through Saturday, only to see their sales drop off on Sunday when they see people driving another few hundred yards to Century.
The move by Atmore and the potential move by Flomaton also serves as a pre-emptive strike in the event either of those cities are able to land a restaurant like Ruby Tuesday's, Applebee's, Outback or Logan's. I've seen places where such businesses wouldn't come if they couldn't sell alcohol on Sundays.
Whether you drink alcohol, don't drink alcohol or think alcohol is the devil's brew, it's being bought less than a quarter of a mile away on Sundays and those tax dollars are used to clean ditches, pave roads, fix potholes and more for Escambia County, Fla.
Mayor Bondurant even said he didn't like the idea, but he's looking out for the taxpayers of Flomaton by putting the ordinance forward.
Hopefully the Escambia County legislative delegation won't let a 5-1 vote make its decision to push this legislation forward stall.
I'll close with a history lesson on Century that I researched years ago and believe I'm telling the whole truth.
For basically all of Escambia County, Fla., alcohol can be sold from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and beginning at 1 p.m. on Sunday until 2:30 a.m. on Monday. The exception is the town of Century.
Eddie Ross was serving as mayor of Century when many of these liquor laws were passed. He owned Ross' Convenient Store in Century and he pushed to exempt Century from those regulations that means you can buy beer and alcohol in Century 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
