A recent court decision has effectively legalized open carry in Florida—and at least some Publix store managers say the company will allow it inside its stores. But not every grocery chain is following suit, and this has reignited a familiar debate: the tension between gun rights and private property rights.
Back on September 10, the First District Court of Appeal struck down Florida’s long-standing ban on open carry as unconstitutional. The very next day, Attorney General James Uthmeier affirmed that open carry is now legal throughout the state.
Since then, sheriff’s departments across Florida have announced they will no longer enforce the old law. But there are caveats—certain locations like schools, government buildings, and meetings remain off-limits for firearms, whether carried openly or concealed.
According to The Ledger and other local media outlets, several Publix store managers confirmed that open carry is now being allowed, in accordance with the new legal landscape.
“That’s a state law now so there’s nothing Publix can do to restrict open carry. So Publix is allowing it,” a manager at a Jacksonville Publix told reporters.