569.003 Retail tobacco products dealer permits; application; qualifications; fees; renewal; duplicates. ---

(1)

(a) Each person, firm, association, or corporation that seeks to deal, at retail, in tobacco products within this state, or to allow a tobacco products vending machine to be located on its premises in this state, must obtain a retail tobacco products dealer permit for each place of business or the premises where tobacco products are sold. Each retail dealer owning, leasing, furnishing, or operating vending machines through which tobacco products are sold must obtain a permit for each machine and shall post the permit in a conspicuous place on or near the machine; however, if the dealer has more than one vending machine at a single location or if tobacco products are sold both over the counter and through a vending machine at a single location, the dealer need obtain only one permit for that location.

(b) Application for a permit must be made on a form furnished by the division and must set forth the name under which the applicant transacts or intends to transact business, the address of the location of the applicant's place of business within the state, and any other information the division requires. If the applicant has or intends to have more than one place of business dealing in tobacco products within this state, a separate application must be made for each place of business. If the applicant is a firm or an association, the application must set forth the names and addresses of the persons constituting the firm or association; if the applicant is a corporation, the application must set forth the names and addresses of the principal officers of the corporation. The application must also set forth any other information prescribed by the division for the purpose of identifying the applicant firm, association, or corporation. The application must be signed and verified by oath or affirmation by the owner, if a sole proprietor, or, if the owner is a firm, association, or partnership, by the members or partners thereof, or, if the owner is a corporation, by an executive officer of the corporation or by any person authorized by the corporation to sign the application, together with the written evidence of this authority. The application must be accompanied by the annual permit fee prescribed by the division.

(c) Permits shall be issued annually, beginning January 15, 1993, upon payment of the annual permit fee prescribed by the division. The division shall fix the fee in an amount sufficient to meet the costs incurred by it in carrying out its permitting, enforcement, and administrative responsibilities under ss. 569.002-569.009, but the fee may not exceed $50. The proceeds of the fee shall be deposited into the Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco Trust Fund.

(d) The holder of a permit may renew the permit each year, on or before January 15, upon payment of the annual permit fee. A dealer that does not timely renew its permit must pay a delinquent renewal fee of $5 for each month or portion of a month occurring after expiration, and before renewal, of the dealer's permit. The division shall establish, by rule, a renewal procedure that, to the greatest extent feasible, combines the application and permitting procedure for permits with the application and licensing system for alcoholic beverages.

(e) The division may not grant an exemption from the permit fees prescribed in this subsection for any applicant.

(2)

(a) Permits may be issued only to persons who are 18 years of age or older or to corporations the officers of which are 18 years of age or older.

(b) The division may refuse to issue a permit to any person, firm, association, or corporation the permit of which has been revoked, to any corporation an officer of which has had his permit revoked, or to any person who is or has been an officer of a corporation the permit of which has been revoked. Any permit issued to a firm, association, or corporation prohibited from obtaining a permit under this section shall be revoked by the division.

(3) Upon approval of an application for a permit, the division shall issue to the applicant a permit for the place of business or premises specified in the application. A permit is not assignable and is valid only for the person in whose name the permit is issued and for the place designated in the permit. The permit shall be conspicuously displayed at all times at the place for which issued.