(This story was revised to include reaction from the St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach police departments and to add video.)
On Sept. 10, the First District Court of Appeal ruled that Florida’s ban on openly carrying firearms is unconstitutional.
Since the ruling, several jurisdictions across Florida have said they will no longer enforce the statute.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the police departments in St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach have joined the list.
In a statement issued in the afternoon of Sept. 12, Sheriff Robert Hardwick said, “Florida Attorney General (James) Uthmeier supports the decision and is not expected to appeal.”
The decision doesn’t become official until the deadline for filing an appeal expires. That date is Sept. 25, according to multiple media reports.
In the meantime, Hardwick said, “SJSO Deputies have been informed of the court decision and will no longer consider the open carrying of a firearm unlawful in most circumstances.”
But Hardwick said other restrictions remain in place, such as “improper exhibition of a firearm” and “possession of firearms in certain locations,” such as governnment buildings and schools.
And, the sheriff said, private business owners and property owners still have the right to prohibit firearms on their property. Earlier on Sept. 12, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd warned his constituents in a video that refusing to leave private property while armed could amount to armed trespassing, a felony.
“As a combat military veteran and the Sheriff of St. Johns County, I support the Constitution and our Second Amendment,” Hardwick said in the statement.
“Please be patient and understanding of residents and visitors who may not understand or have knowledge of this court decision, as we must help educate and protect constitutional rights during a time that may be confusing for some,” he said.
Assistant Police Chief T. J. Harrell from the St. Augustine Beach Police Department told the St. Augustine Record that the “Beach Police Department will stay lockstep with its surrounding law enforcement partners, including the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.”
Officer Dee Brown, the public information officer for the St. Augustine Police Department, said via text that Chief Jennifer Michaux “did not have a comment on this issue,” and referred a reporter to the Sheriff’s Office.
Click here to read the statute. Click here to read the court’s decision.
About Florida’s Concealed and Carry Law
Florida residents could legally carry a concealed firearm prior to July 1, 2023, if the owner had a concealed carry permit and fit the statutory requirements to handle a firearm.
However, in 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 543 into law removing the requirement for citizens to obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm effective July 1 of the same year.
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: After ruling, St. Johns County will no longer enforce Florida’s ban on openly carrying firearms
Reporting by Lucia Viti, St. Augustine Record / St. Augustine Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
