The proposed bill, titled the "Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act," aims to regulate third-party reservation platforms in Florida. It defines a "third-party reservation platform" as any website, mobile application, or internet service that offers reservations at public food service establishments without a contractual relationship with the establishment. The bill explicitly prohibits these platforms from listing, advertising, promoting, or selling reservations for on-premises service at public food service establishments, with a specific exception for personal and non-transferable reservations arranged by a customer's designee.
To enforce this prohibition, the bill authorizes the Division of Hotels and Restaurants within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to impose civil penalties of up to $1,000 for each violation, with penalties accruing daily for each violation and each reservation involved. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.