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This is an informational reminder that Florida Senate Bill 606 officially goes into effect on July 1st. Because this law introduces strict transparency standards for “operations charges” (e.g. automatic gratuities, service fees, and delivery charges) at your food, beverage, and banquet operations, we strongly encourage your General Managers, F&B Directors, and corporate counsel to conduct a final review of your property’s compliance posture ahead of the deadline.

As your teams review your point-of-sale (POS) systems, menus, and banquet contracts, we suggest verifying your protocols against two distinct layers of regulation:

1. State Statute: Florida SB 606 (Effective July 1)
For properties utilizing operations charges, the incoming state law establishes specific standards regarding:

  • Menu & Platform Transparency: Clear disclosure of the amount and the purpose of operations charges across printed food menus, digital ordering apps, and written banquet contracts.
  • Font Size Parity: A requirement that the fee disclosure be printed in a font equal to or larger than the font used for the surrounding menu item descriptions.
  • Check Presentation: Clear notification on the initial bill presented to the guest that an operations charge is included.
  • Receipt Line-Items: POS formatting that separates Gratuity, Operations Charge, and Sales Tax onto entirely distinct lines on the final customer receipt.

For your reference, you can review the full text of the bill and Section 509.214 of the Florida Statutes to understand exactly how the law is written.

2. Local Statute: Miami-Dade County Code Sec. 8A-110.1
If your property is updating printed menus or digital boards to accommodate the new State law, please ensure your design teams do not inadvertently omit existing County disclosure requirements.

Under Miami-Dade County Ordinance 99-163, any business that applies an automatic tip is required to post a notice of that tip conspicuously written in three languages: English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.

In addition, this statute requires the following notice to appear on the menu, price listing, or a prominent physical register sign, and must include the following exact text:

“IT IS ILLEGAL IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY FOR ANY BUSINESS TO CONDONE IN ANY MANNER TIPPING BASED ON THE RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, ANCESTRY, NATIONAL ORIGIN, AGE, SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, PREGNANCY, DISABILITY, MARITAL STATUS OR FAMILIAL STATUS OF THE PERSON OR PERSONS GIVING OR RECEIVING THE TIP. If you have a complaint, you may call the Miami-Dade County Consumer Services Department Hotline at (305) 375-3677.”

For your reference, you can review the full text of the ordinance and Sec. 8A-110.1 of the Miami-Dade Statutes to understand exactly how the law is written.

Recommended Next Steps

Because POS architecture and contract language vary unique to each hotel, we advise consulting directly with your property’s legal counsel and software vendors to ensure your specific operational rollout is fully compliant by July 1.

If your property encounters broader municipal or state-level regulatory friction during this transition, please reach out us so we can track and assist at the industry level. If you or your team are not yet members of the GMBHA Government Affairs Committee, you can sign up to join us here.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this communication is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Members should consider consulting with qualified counsel regarding their specific legal obligations and circumstances under state and federal law.

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