Miami New Times photo-illustration. Publix exterior by Mike Kalasnik/Flickr; gunslingers photo by APchanel/Adobe Stock (background removed with Adobe AI).
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Heading to the grocery store? Don’t forget your shopping list, wallet, reusable bags…oh, and maybe your AR-15.
On September 25, Florida began allowing open carry after an appeals court overturned the state’s ban on openly carrying firearms, deeming it unconstitutional. While businesses and other private property owners still have the option to ban open carry under the law, the Florida-based Publix appears to be just fine with customers packing heat in its produce aisles. So do not fear; while you perform the daunting tasks of selecting the perfectly ripe avocado or pint of strawberries that will live to see another day, your trusty firearm will be there for moral support.
As first reported by the Sun Sentinel, employees at Publix stores across South Florida — including locations in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Davie, Miramar, Boca Raton, and Delray Beach — confirmed they’re allowing customers to strut through their aisles with firearms on full display following the recent ruling.
New Times called a handful of Publix locations across Miami-Dade and confirmed that stores in Brickell, Coral Gables, Sunny Isles Beach, Kendall, and Doral will also allow customers to open carry.
Photo by Josh Hallett / Flickr
Though some store managers were unaware the law had taken effect or said they hadn’t received official guidance, others told New Times that all Florida-based Publix stores would now permit open carry under the new legislation. Maria Brous, a spokesperson for the Lakeland-based Publix, did not respond to two phone calls and two emails from New Times regarding the new open carry law.
The September appeals court ruling has left many people across Florida perplexed about the state’s open carry laws. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd even called the state’s gun laws “a little wonky.” That confusion was obvious during conversations with Publix employees and managers.
While Publix plans to allow open carry inside its Florida stores, other grocers are opting for a different approach. A spokesperson for Winn-Dixie told New Times the company will continue to prohibit firearms in its stores.
“Our priority is creating a safe and welcoming shopping experience for all customers and associates,” a spokesperson said. “As a private business, our policy remains unchanged: we do not permit open carry of firearms inside our stores. We respectfully ask customers to secure firearms safely before entering, and we appreciate the continued cooperation that helps us maintain an environment where everyone feels comfortable.”
A Milam’s Market spokesperson didn’t mince words in her response to New Times: “We do not allow weapons in our stores,” she wrote in an email.
New Times also reached out to representatives for Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, and ALDI, but had not received responses as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
Florida has banned open carry since 1987, although laws surrounding concealed carry, permit carry, and constitutional carry have evolved in the years since. Now that the open carry ban has been struck down as unconstitutional, lawmakers are left with conflicting laws and legal gray areas they’ll need to sort out.
Florida law prohibits licensed and concealed carry of firearms in a wide range of sensitive locations, including police stations, courthouses, polling places, government meetings, athletic events, schools, and bars. Both the appeals court judge and state Attorney General James Uthmeier have clarified that these state and federal location-based restrictions still apply, even after the open carry ban was overturned.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as events warrant.
