Hospitality Law
Hospitality law is the body of state and federal law governing hotels, restaurants, bars, and tourism businesses. It covers licensing, guest relations, alcohol service, food safety, employment, and contracts specific to public accommodations and food service
Florida’s hospitality industry operates under a distinct legal framework that often goes beyond the knowledge of general business counsel. Kelley Kronenberg’s hospitality law attorneys apply decades of experience to the representation of hotels, restaurants, bars, and tourism businesses across Florida.
Unique Florida Hospitality Laws
Florida has hospitality-specific statutes that create legal obligations and protections general business counsel may not know. Each one matters and addressing them proactively often prevents problems from happening or reduces the potential impact when they do.
Innkeeper’s Liability
Florida statutes limit a hotel’s financial exposure when a guest’s property is lost or stolen, but only if the hotel posts proper statutory notices and makes an in-room safe available. Without those steps, the statutory cap does not apply, and the hotel’s exposure is uncapped. The requirements are specific, and whether a hotel has met them is often the first question in a guest property dispute.
Right to Eject
Hotels and restaurants can remove unruly, intoxicated, or disorderly guests and refuse service, provided those decisions do not cross into discrimination prohibited by state or federal law. That distinction is not always obvious in the moment. Operators with documented, consistently applied policies are in a far stronger position when a removal decision is later challenged in court or before a civil rights agency.
Food Safety and Licensing
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) licenses and inspects public lodging establishments and food service businesses. Violations can result in fines, suspension, or closure, and DBPR inspections are unannounced. Licensing gaps and inspection failures are among the most disruptive legal problems a hospitality operator can face, because they stop operations entirely while litigation and disputes do not.
Alcohol Regulations
The Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco regulates liquor licenses, operating hours, and alcohol service rules for bars and restaurants. License conditions vary by license type, location, and local ordinance, which means compliance is rarely a one-size-fits-all exercise. When a violation is alleged, the defense strategy matters as much as the underlying facts.
Service Animals
Florida follows federal ADA rules requiring public accommodations to permit legitimate service animals and adds state penalties for individuals who misrepresent pets as service animals. Operators face exposure on both sides of that line and the law does not give them much room to investigate. Clear written policies, consistently applied and documented, are the most defensible approach and the starting point for any operator who has not yet formalized one.
Contracts and Transactions
Vendor agreements, franchise agreements, management contracts, and supplier deals define how an operation runs and who absorbs the risk when something goes wrong. In hospitality, where margins are thin and operational continuity is everything, contract language that looks standard can carry consequences that are anything but. Kelley Kronenberg’s hospitality law attorneys negotiate these agreements with a focus on operational reality.
For growing businesses, we handle acquisitions, entity formation, and ownership restructuring. Whether you are opening a first location, adding a flag, or acquiring an existing property, the transaction structure determines your exposure from day one.
Employment and Workforce Compliance
Few hospitality matters stay within a single legal category. A licensing investigation may surface employment issues. A kitchen injury could trigger a workers’ compensation claim. Kelley Kronenberg’s hospitality law attorneys work with the firm’s labor and employment, workers’ compensation, construction law, and general liability defense teams so that when a matter involves more than one practice area, the strategy does not fragment across separate counsel. For operators managing multiple risk vectors at once, integration is a material advantage.
Hospitality Law FAQs
Hospitality law attorneys protect operators from the legal risks specific to the industry, including licensing violations, contract disputes, employment claims, and regulatory investigations. For Florida operators, those risks are compounded by state-specific statutes that general business counsel may not know. Kelley Kronenberg’s hospitality law attorneys handle these matters so operators can focus on running the business. Contact us to discuss your situation.
Public lodging and food service businesses in Florida require licenses from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Bars and restaurants that serve alcohol also need approval from the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco. A licensing gap can stop operations entirely. Kelley Kronenberg’s hospitality law attorneys help operators obtain, maintain, and defend licenses before both agencies before a problem forces the issue.
Yes, within limits. Florida law gives hotels and restaurants the right to remove disorderly or intoxicated guests and to refuse service, provided those decisions do not cross into discrimination prohibited by state or federal law. That line is not always clear in the moment, and a decision made without documented policy behind it is harder to defend. Our hospitality law attorneys help operators build those policies before they are needed.
Florida statutes limit a hotel’s financial exposure when a guest’s property is lost or stolen, but only if the hotel has posted proper statutory notices and provided an in-room safe. Without those steps, the cap does not apply. Whether a hotel has met the requirements is often the first question in a guest property dispute. Our attorneys advise hotels on exactly what activates that protection.
Service to visibly intoxicated persons, sales to minors, and operating outside permitted hours are among the most common violations that trigger Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco enforcement. Penalties range from fines to license suspension or revocation. A single incident can put years of investment at risk. Kelley Kronenberg’s hospitality law attorneys represent operators in license defense and help build compliance programs that reduce exposure before a violation occurs.
Florida follows federal ADA rules requiring public accommodations to permit legitimate service animals, and adds state penalties for individuals who misrepresent pets as service animals. Operators face legal exposure on both sides. Refusing a legitimate service animal violates the ADA. Accepting a misrepresented one creates different complications. Clear written policies, consistently applied, are the most defensible approach. Our attorneys help operators put those policies in place.
It is common. A kitchen injury triggers workers’ compensation. A guest incident implicates premises liability. A licensing investigation may surface employment issues. Kelley Kronenberg’s hospitality law attorneys work alongside the firm’s workers’ compensation, premises liability, and labor and employment teams so the strategy stays consistent across every dimension of the matter. Operators dealing with overlapping legal risks get coordinated counsel rather than separate firms working in parallel.
Kelley Kronenberg’s hospitality law attorneys represent hotels, restaurants, bars, and tourism businesses across Florida on development, management agreements, franchising arrangements, construction contracts, licensing, contracts, employment, regulatory compliance, and disputes. The firm’s integrated structure means clients have access to workers’ compensation, premises liability, labor and employment, and other practice teams when a matter extends into those areas. If your business is facing a legal challenge or you want to get ahead of one, contact our hospitality law attorneys to discuss your situation.
