Is Publix required by law to allow open carry in stores?
No.
There is no new Florida law that requires companies to permit the open carry of firearms in stores.
Supermarket chain Publix recently announced it would allow open carry in its stores to follow “all federal, state and local laws.”
The existing Florida law banning open carry unless in self defense –– State Statute 790.053 –– was deemed unconstitutional in September. Therefore, the law is now unenforceable and gives some companies like Publix the choice to allow open carry.
However, a new law hasn’t taken its place that explicitly permits it or forces companies to allow open carry, meaning Publix would have been within its rights to continue banning the practice.
Other supermarket chains, including Costco, Target and Walmart, upheld policies that prohibit open carry in their stores.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
— Clinton Engelberger
Do school zone speed cameras have a grace period?
No.
School zone speed limits are enforced by cameras that will ticket drivers until the final minute of the enforcement period.
The cameras are active for the time period during school hours. That exact timeframe depends on where you’re driving in Sarasota.
For example, a school zone camera near Alta Vista Elementary School is active from 7 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Lights flash during this time period to let drivers know that a 20 mph speed limit is in effect instead of the usual 40 mph. If someone drives over 10 mph the school zone limit, even at 3:44 p.m., they will receive a $100 ticket.
If a driver doesn’t pay the ticket or challenge it by requesting a hearing, they will be fined an additional $106, bringing the total cost to $206.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
— Clinton Engelberger
This story was originally published by Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom delivering investigative journalism to Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org.
