Harry's Bar in Carrabelle has filed suit against Florida Governor Ron Desantis and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for its recent action to close all bars in Florida

 Harry's Bar in Carrabelle has filed suit against Florida Governor Ron Desantis and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for its recent action to close all bars in Florida.

On June 26th, the state mandated that all businesses in Florida that make more than 50 percent of their income from the sale of alcohol no longer sell alcohol for consumption on the premises.

Harry's Bar is fighting back, calling the action unconstitutional.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Franklin County Circuit Court by Tallahassee attorney Ethan Way.

It asks for a temporary injunction calling the statewide shutdown a “draconian drastic action.”

Harry's argues that the statewide shutdown was the “lazy and easy route” for the state to take as it was done to stop large groups of young people from gathering together and then spreading the coronavirus.

Harry's points out that it doesn't cater to younger people, though they are welcome.

Harry's caters to a more mature, local crowd, and others who enjoy a sociable lifestyle.

Harry's also calls the action “arbitrary” as it allows businesses that serve food to keep serving alcohol, while local bars are shuttered.

The lawsuit says you can “buy a beer or a shot of fireball at an Applebee's but not at Harry's” yet the state has provided no evidence that bars in restaurants are any better at protecting people from the coronavirus than standalone bars.

Harry's is not seeking monetary damages, though it says it is losing plenty of money because of the shutdown.

They just want to go back to work and that the “laws and rules be enforced with an even hand and evidencing a rational basis for enforcement.”

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