Citrus County, FL Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Section 6-5 defines an "alcoholic beverage" as anything containing more than one percent alcohol by weight, and defines "public parking lot," "right-of-way" and "roadway" broadly enough to cover shopping-center lots, marinas and both state and county roads. The core prohibition bars consuming alcohol within county rights-of-way, within public parking lots, or within 300 feet of any establishment licensed for on-premises consumption. Four exceptions apply: the interior, porches and sundecks of a licensed establishment; private property owners or their authorized guests on property located inside the 300-foot buffer; and people operating vehicles on county rights-of-way.

The section applies only in the unincorporated area of the county, meaning it does not reach inside Crystal River or Inverness city limits, each of which enforces its own alcohol rules. The ordinance traces to Ord. No. 85-09 (adopted June 25, 1985) and was amended by Ord. No. 91-A04 (March 26, 1991). Enforcement is assigned specifically to the county sheriff rather than code enforcement. Because most commercial corridors in the county sit near a licensed bar, restaurant or package store, the 300-foot buffer effectively reaches sidewalks and lots well beyond any single business's property line.