Publix, one of Florida’s largest grocery chains, now allows customers to openly carry guns in its stores after a recent state court ruling.
Florida’s open-carry restrictions were lifted on Sept. 25 after the 1st District Court of Appeal struck down the state’s long-standing ban, ruling it unconstitutional.
The decision allows adults to openly carry guns in public while giving private businesses the option to prohibit open carry on their property.
Publix, which operates more than 900 stores in Florida, has chosen to allow open carry, according to employees contacted by news outlets including the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Calls to stores in South and Central Florida confirmed that customers are being told they may openly carry guns inside, consistent with the new law.
Publix spokeswoman Lindsey Willis provided a statement to the Sun Sentinel explaining the company’s position: “As of Sept. 25, 2025, Florida law allows the open carry of firearms. Publix follows all federal, state, and local laws.”
The statement concluded that threatening or erratic behavior involving anyone at its stores would result in a request for law enforcement support.
Customer reactions have been mixed. Former Sunrise City Commissioner Sheila Alu said she supports the Second Amendment but plans to avoid Publix.
“Open carry in a grocery store or in a mall will frighten people,” she said. “Publix is not an establishment that I or my family will be patronizing.”
Fort Lauderdale resident and private investigator Ana Campos expressed a different view, saying she might feel safer seeing responsible gun owners in stores.
“If there’s a problem, they’ll be there before the police show up,” she said.
Publix customers who contacted the company received email responses reiterating that the supermarket chain follows federal, state, and local laws, and that store managers may call law enforcement if a customer’s behavior is deemed threatening or unsafe.
Other major grocery retailers have taken different stances. Winn-Dixie continues to prohibit open carry in its Florida stores, citing customer safety, while Walmart has asked customers to refrain from bringing guns into its stores.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier posted on X about the court decision with guidance for state prosecutors.
“Because no other appellate court has considered the constitutionality of Florida’s open carry ban since the SCOTUS [U.S. Supreme Court] decision in Bruen, the 1st DCA’s decision is binding on all Florida’s trial courts.
“Meaning that as of last week, open carry is the law of the state.”
Based on previous reporting from the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, the open-carry decision in Florida brings to 47 the number of states in the U.S. that allow the open carrying of guns in some form. Most states still impose restrictions on the practice.
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