Florida AG Warns City Over Gun Ban in Park

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has found another city in the Sunshine State that appears to be non-compliant with the state’s carry laws. Uthmeier has sent a letter to officials in Winter Garden, Florida warning that the prohibition on “weapons” and “firearms” at the city’s Tucker Ranch Recreation and Nature Complex is illegal and the “no guns allowed” signs must be removed. 

Uthmeier’s missive notes that Florida’s firearm preemption law prohibits political subdivisions like the Orlando suburb of Winter Garden from setting their own policies on firearms, and calls out another locality that impermissibly crossed the line. 

Broward County, for example, attempted to prohibit “weapons” in taxis, but the court found this ordinance invalid because the Legislature had specifically prohibited local governments from enacting ordinances regulating firearms and nullified any existing ordinance doing so. Winter Garden’s prohibition of firearms in parks, then, violates section 790.33, Florida statutes, and is null and void. 

The AG is “urging” Winter Garden to remove any reference to firearms from its signage at the complex, along with any vague prohibition on weapons, since “that term is normally understood to include firearms.” At the very least, Uthmeier wants the signage to state that lawfully possessed firearms are not disallowed on the property. 

Failure to do so could lead to a civil suit, according to Uthmeier, and he’s given the city 30 days to demonstrate that it’s in compliance with state law. 

Uthmeier’s post on X led to several Floridians pointing out other “gun-free zones” that appear to be a violation of Florida’s preemption law, as well as asking questions about other locations where firearms may be prohibited. 

Now it’s time to go after West Palm Beach for their No Guns signs at Grassy Waters Preserve. pic.twitter.com/PmMRkKmi37

— Bob (@BobSmith96772) July 16, 2026

Honest question: what about weapon restrictions on Brightline Trains or even TriRail ?

— BocaDuke (@BocaDuk3) July 15, 2026

You going after whole foods next? I do believe individual places have the right to do this. Can I walk into a school with a piece? Church? Ymca?

— JustJM (@infl_jm) July 16, 2026

In general, no county, city, town, or other local government can set up their own local gun laws in Florida. Private property owners can generally ban guns from their property by posting “clear and conspicuous” signage at every public entrance. 

In addition, another section of Florida’s statutes says:

(a) No public or private employer may prohibit any customer, employee, or invitee from possessing any legally owned firearm when such firearm is lawfully possessed and locked inside or locked to a private motor vehicle in a parking lot and when the customer, employee, or invitee is lawfully in such area.

(b) No public or private employer may violate the privacy rights of a customer, employee, or invitee by verbal or written inquiry regarding the presence of a firearm inside or locked to a private motor vehicle in a parking lot or by an actual search of a private motor vehicle in a parking lot to ascertain the presence of a firearm within the vehicle. Further, no public or private employer may take any action against a customer, employee, or invitee based upon verbal or written statements of any party concerning possession of a firearm stored inside a private motor vehicle in a parking lot for lawful purposes. A search of a private motor vehicle in the parking lot of a public or private employer to ascertain the presence of a firearm within the vehicle may only be conducted by on-duty law enforcement personnel, based upon due process and must comply with constitutional protections.

…(e) No public or private employer may terminate the employment of or otherwise discriminate against an employee, or expel a customer or invitee for exercising his or her constitutional right to keep and bear arms or for exercising the right of self-defense as long as a firearm is never exhibited on company property for any reason other than lawful defensive purposes.

Essentially, if you’re caught carrying in a “gun-free zone” the property owner can tell you to leave, and if you don’t comply then you can be charged with criminal trespass. 

Attorney General Uthmeier has been a model for other AGs to follow when it comes to standing up for our Second Amendment rights. From calling out jurisdictions like Winter Garden to suing Jacksonville for its illegal registry of gun-owning visitors to City Hall to using the courts to put an end to Florida’s ban on open carry and three-day waiting period for gun transfers, Uthmeier is proving that even in a state that’s already pretty friendly to gun owners, an attorney general who understands the importance of the right to keep and bear arms can still make major improvements to the status quo. 

Editor’s Note: President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.

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