After months of allowing customers to openly carry guns in its Florida stores, Publix appears to have changed its policy.<\/p>\n
After Florida law changed last fall, Publix opted to allow customers to open carry<\/a>, while other major grocery chains, including Walmart and Winn-Dixie, asked customers not to bring guns. Other businesses also opted to restrict open carry on their private property.<\/p>\n Recently, signs inside and outside of the front entrances of Publix stores throughout the state, including in South and Central Florida, seemed to indicate the policy has shifted. The signs read: \u201cPublix kindly asks that only law enforcement openly carry firearms in our stores.\u201d Publix\u2019s customer service FAQ website also shows<\/a> the same message.<\/p>\n The South Florida Sun Sentinel contacted nine Publix stores in South Florida, including locations in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach, Pompano Beach, Sunrise and Wilton Manors. Customer service and store management referred questions to the company\u2019s corporate media relations.<\/p>\n Publix\u2019s media relations manager for South and Central Florida did not respond to voicemail and email seeking information Wednesday.<\/p>\n In October, when Publix followed the new state guideline, customers were not uniformly supportive. Many vowed to boycott Publix, which has more than 900 stores in Florida.<\/p>\n Florida began allowing open carry<\/a> on Sept. 25 after an appeals court overturned the state\u2019s ban on openly carrying firearms, deeming it unconstitutional<\/a>. Under the law, businesses and other private property owners have the option of banning open carry.<\/p>\n In October, Lindsey Willis, Publix\u2019s South and Central Florida spokesperson, sent the Sun Sentinel a statement that did not expressly state Publix had changed its policy to allow open carry.<\/p>\n The statement said: \u201cAs of Sept. 25, 2025, Florida law allows the open carry of firearms. Publix follows all federal, state and local laws. Treating customers with dignity and respect is a founding belief at Publix. In any instance where a customer creates a threatening, erratic or dangerous shopping experience \u2014 whether they are openly carrying a firearm or not \u2014 we will engage local law enforcement to protect our customers and associates.\u201d<\/p>\n Sun Sentinel staff writer Susannah Bryan contributed to this report.<\/p>\n