Miami Beach, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)

City Code Sec. 70-2 makes it unlawful to sell, give or furnish a nicotine vaporizer or liquid nicotine to anyone under 18, and retailers must check ID confirming the buyer is at least 18. Sec. 70-2(b)(2)-(3) bars self-service merchandising and open displays of these products unless the retail area itself restricts access to persons under 18. Retailers must post a sign, in a clear and conspicuous location, stating that sale of nicotine products to persons under 18 is against Florida law and that proof of age is required; failing to post it is itself a violation under Sec.

70-2(c). Mail-order and internet delivery sales require the seller to obtain a certification of age, verify it against a commercially available database, and keep a copy of a government-issued ID showing the buyer's date of birth (Sec. 70-2(d)). Penalties escalate by offense: a first enhanced-penalty violation lets the city manager suspend the violator's business tax receipt for up to six months, and a second or subsequent violation within 12 months allows outright revocation of the business tax receipt (Sec. 70-2(e)(2)). Adult violators of the ID-check, self-service, or signage provisions are punished under the general penalty section, Sec.

1-14 of the city code. A minor who sells to or possesses these products faces escalating non-criminal penalties: 16 hours of community service or a $25 fine and mandatory anti-tobacco class for a first offense, a $25 fine for a second offense within 12 weeks, and license suspension referral to the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles for a third offense in that window.