On split votes, the Escambia County (Ala.) Commission and the Flomaton Town Council approved beer and wine licenses for three different businesses during their meetings Monday.
Monday morning the county commission voted 4-1 to approve off-premise beer licenses for the new Dollar General store on Highway 31 near Pollard and the transfer of an off-premise beer and wine license to Ana Travel Center at 13288 Highway 113 from the previous owners, Valero Truck Stop.
Commissioners Raymond Wiggins, Steven Dickey, Brandon Smith and Karean Reynolds voted yes and Commissioner Larry White voted no.
Monday afternoon, the Flomaton Town Council voted 4-2 to allow The Junction restaurant at 2114 Ringold St., across the street from Barrow Furniture and town hall to sell beer and wine on premises.
Councilwoman Kay Wagner made the motion to approve the application and Councilwoman Lillian Dean issued the second to approve the beer and wine license. The motion passed with Dean, Wagner, Anna Lee and Mayor Jim Johnson voting yes. Councilman Roger Adkinson and Councilwoman Susan Fountain voted no.
Mike Newton, owner of the restaurant, appeared before the council seeking the beer and wine license, saying it would help his business. He noted people are going across the line in Century to restaurants that serve alcohol.
Wagner said it was her understanding that whether the council voted yes or no, Newton would be able to go to Montgomery and pay $500 and get a license to sell alcohol.
“I object to alcohol, but I’m not going to cost him $500,” Wagner said.
Wagner said she felt Newton needed the same privilege everybody else has.
Fountain said she had been praying about her vote once she knew it was on the agenda and said she didn’t want her personal reasons to come into play but said she was going to vote against the license.
“It goes way back for me,” Fountain said. “I truly believe you can be tremendously successful without it.”
She said she had family members who had a store that sold beer and wine and they went under and closed.
“It takes tremendous character to be different than somebody else,” she said.
She noted that one-third of traffic fatalities are due to alcohol.
“Is it a sin to drink alcohol? No,” she said.
She added that she wasn’t wanting to harm the business, but questioned how good it was for kids to come into the restaurant and see it.
“I’m voting no,” she said.
Councilman Adkinson noted that every time a beer license came up he was personally against it and didn’t agree to adding a new revenue source to the town that could potentially harm citizens.
“Personally, I’m against it,” Adkinson said. “I always have been.”
Adkinson added in his 73 years he’s never had a drink but noted it “starts with that first drink. I’m not trying to harm a business but I know my vote will be no.”
Dean said she would be voting yes and said it was up to parents and the community to make sure “our children do right”.
She said if the council denied the beer and license more businesses would leave the town.
“Let’s keep the nickles in our pocket,” she said.
Councilwoman Lee noted that if people want to buy alcohol there are several places in Flomaton and across the line in Century where it can be purchased.
She noted that The Junction is not a true bar and she was against putting more restrictions on a Flomaton business.
