Florida Fairgrounds' "No Weapons" Sign Meets State Preemption Law

A sheriff's deputy at the North Florida Fair in Tallahassee told armed patrons they wouldn't be denied entry over carrying firearms, but asked them not to spread the word that carry was permitted on the property.

Snapshot

Members of Florida Carry and Gun Owners of America visited the North Florida Fair after fair officials posted a "no weapons" policy online. GOA Florida State Director Luis Valdes says the fairgrounds, leased by the county fair association for $1, don't qualify as a gun-free zone under state preemption law. A video of the exchange showed a deputy granting entry to an armed, openly carrying visitor while asking the group to keep quiet about it.

Key points

• No denial of entry: The deputy told the group, "we're not going to deny you entry for being armed," and said securing weapons in a vehicle was optional.
• Preemption argument: Valdes said Florida's Chapter 790 preemption law reserves gun-free zone designations for the legislature, and the fairgrounds don't meet the sensitive-location criteria under 790.06(12).
• The "municipal two-step": Valdes described a pattern where counties lease fairgrounds to a separate association for $1 so officials can claim they didn't post the gun-free policy themselves.
• Deputy's reasoning: The deputy said security screening exists to stop "ill-willed folks" and worried that word of legal carry "spreading quick to everybody" would undercut that screening.
• Outcome without litigation: Valdes said the group was admitted without incident and that GOA has had to sue other jurisdictions over similar disputes, calling this result a win handled outside court.

Quick take

Valdes framed the episode as evidence that Florida's preemption law works when gun owners push back, telling Bearing Arms the group intends to keep publicizing carry rights at the fair rather than stay quiet about them.

Read the full story: bearingarms.com