Beloved Florida grocer Publix may have quietly changed its course on allowing shoppers to open carry inside its stores.
A Tampa Bay Times columnist was tipped off about a potential change to Publix’s stance on open carry a few weeks back.
In the meantime, customers have taken photos of new signs that read “Publix kindly asks that only law enforcement openly carry firearms in our stores.”
The Publix website doesn’t advertise the seemingly new rule, but its online chatbot uses the same language when asked about the grocery store’s rule on carrying weapons.
Tampa Bay Times columnist Stephanie Hayes said she has reached out to Publix multiple times over the past week, but Publix has stayed silent on the topic. The News Journal has also reached out to Publix’s North relations manager for comment, but did not hear back before the time of publication.
Floridians weighing in on social media about the topic largely seem to be unbothered.
“If they put a sign up it’s their choice,” one person wrote on Facebook in response to the news.
“I have yet to see one person open carry yet. And I am out and about a lot,” wrote another.
Is Florida an open carry state?
Florida eliminated licensing requirements to carry a concealed firearm in most public places in 2023 and became an open carry state in 2025.
A three-judge panel in the 1st District Court of Appeal declared that Florida’s law blocking open carry was unconstitutional and a violation of the Second Amendment in September 2025.
Attorney General James Uthmeier quickly followed up on the court’s decision by declaring that “open carry is the law of the state.”
“I’m issuing guidance to Florida’s prosecutors and law enforcement in light of the 1st DCA’s decision in McDaniels v. State,” Uthemier posted on X on Sept. 15. “Because no other appellate court has considered the constitutionality of Florida’s open carry ban since the SCOTUS decision in Bruen, the 1st DCA’s decision is binding on all Florida’s trial courts.”
Is Publix still open carry in Florida?
Following the ruling, Publix was one of the few grocers operating in Florida that allowed open carry. It now appears that Publix may be walking that policy back, though no official announcement has been made.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Publix may have quietly rolled back its open carry rules
Reporting by Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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