Texas liquor agency rebuked after investigation of Spec's
Leaders at the Texas Capitol love to bash what they call out-of-control bureaucrats at city halls and in Washington, D.C., but a recent case pitting the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission against Specs Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods looks like state regulatory overreach on steroids.
After an investigation of the states largest liquor retailer, the TABC sought to yank permits for all 164 of the companys stores which would effectively shut it down or hit Spec's with fines of up to $713 million, according to court documents filed last week.
The agency also put the companys expansion plans on ice by freezing Specs new permit applications during the three-year probe, records show.
What did Specs, a family-run company based in Houston, do to deserve the business equivalent of the death penalty? Thats what a couple of Texas administrative law judges wondered last week.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/politics/texas/article/Texas-liquor-agency-rebuked-after-investigation-11260279.php
Leave Spec's alone. They have several of my favorite beer brands, olive tapenade, applewood smoke mozzarella cheese, and Zots candies.