Publix signage reverses open carry policy

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(The Center Square) – Publix, headquartered in Lakeland, has posted signs in Florida stores asking for only law enforcement to open carry firearms in stores.

Whether it is policy isn’t clear.

The move comes months after reverse policy was enacted. The state’s ban on openly carrying firearms was ruled unconstitutional in September.

The popular grocery chain has not formally commented. On its website and in stores, a message reads, “Publix kindly asks that only law enforcement openly carry firearms in our stores.”

Publix last fall was an outlier, allowing customers to have a firearm in view. Most stayed with a “no guns” approach after the 1st District Court of Appeal ruled a state ban on open carry was unconstitutional.

Publix is among the 10 largest volume supermarket chains in the nation, with 2025 retail sales of $62.7 billion and employing more than 260,000. Nearly 900 of the 1,400 store locations are in Florida.