The "Whiskey and Wheaties" bill, which would let grocery stores sell liquor alongside food, passed the Florida House by one vote.

HB 81, which passed 58-57, now heads to Gov. Rick Scott's desk for his signature. It eliminates the state's requirement that liquor stores be kept separate from grocery sales.

Two lawmakers who missed the vote said they would have hit the "no" button.

A deeply divided legislature debated the bill for hours Tuesday. Democrats and Republicans alike warned that passage could lead to increased alcoholism and a rise in theft at large chain stores such as Wal-Mart.

Supporters of the bill said those figures are a lot lower in states that don't have the so-called "liquor wall" that Florida has.

"If people agree that by creating more access to this product, more of it will be sold, then it is impossible not to believe that the negative effects of that product won't scale linearly," Rep. Randy Fine (R-Palm Bay) said. "If there's 25 percent more hard liquor sold, then there will be 25 percent more drunk driving deaths."

Scott hasn't said whether he will sign the bill.