Where Can’t You Carry Under Florida’s Permitless Carry Law?
I get phone calls all the time from people who genuinely believed permitless carry meant they could carry their firearm anywhere in the state, no questions asked. That’s not how the law works, and assuming otherwise can land a law-abiding gun owner in handcuffs over something completely avoidable.
Florida’s permitless carry law has generated a lot of excitement, and rightfully so. It allows eligible individuals to carry a concealed weapon without a state-issued license, which empowers citizens to exercise their Second Amendment rights more freely than they could before. But the law does not grant a free pass to carry everywhere, and plenty of residents are inadvertently violating it by carrying their firearms into restricted areas without realizing those areas are off-limits. To stay on the right side of the law, you need to know exactly where carrying a firearm, whether concealed or open, remains strictly prohibited.
Facing a Weapons Charge After Carrying in the Wrong Place?
A single misunderstanding about where you can carry can turn into a criminal charge fast. If you’re facing a weapons violation, don’t wait to find out how serious it is. Call John Guidry at (407) 423-1117 to talk through your case today.
The Restricted Zones Most People Already Recognize
Some restrictions under Florida Statute § 790.06 are common sense, and most citizens already know about them. As a general rule, if you see a metal detector, you’re almost certainly standing in a prohibited zone.
Courthouses and courtrooms top that list. Carrying a firearm into one of these buildings is a violation even if you’re only there to pay a traffic ticket or file routine paperwork. The same goes for police and detention facilities, which covers police stations, sheriff’s offices, highway patrol stations, and jails. Airports round out this category. You cannot carry a firearm past the security checkpoint, full stop.
The Restrictions That Catch People By Surprise
Beyond those obvious zones, Florida law includes several restrictions that strike a lot of people as genuinely unexpected. Ignorance of these rules is not a legal defense, and prosecutors won’t treat it as one, so it’s worth understanding exactly where the lesser-known lines sit.
Schools, Colleges, and Educational Facilities
You cannot carry a firearm on any K-12 school campus, college, or university. This restriction extends to school administration buildings and career centers as well. Even if you’re simply a parent dropping off or picking up your kids, leaving a gun in your glove box while you’re on school property can lead to serious legal trouble.
Athletic Events
Under Florida Statute § 790.06, you’re prohibited from carrying a firearm into any professional or school-sanctioned athletic event. This restriction applies regardless of whether the event takes place on school property or at a private venue, and it doesn’t matter whether the venue uses metal detectors. The only common exception applies if you’re a participant in a shooting competition.
Bars and Restaurants
Florida law prohibits carrying a firearm into any establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, provided the establishment, or the specific portion of it, is primarily devoted to that purpose. In practical terms, that means you cannot carry at bars, nightclubs, or in the bar area of a restaurant, even if the dining room itself would otherwise be fine.
Private Property Rights and Armed Trespassing
Beyond the restricted locations above, always remember that private property owners have the right to prohibit firearms on their premises, full stop. If a business owner or their staff asks you to leave because you’re carrying, you have to comply immediately. Refusing to leave after that kind of warning doesn’t just get you escorted out. It can turn into an armed trespassing charge, which Florida treats as a third-degree felony rather than a simple trespass.
What Happens If You Get It Wrong
Violating these location restrictions typically results in a second-degree misdemeanor charge under Florida Statute § 790.06(12). That’s sad but true, because most people who get caught up in this never intended to break the law. They simply didn’t know the rule existed. Penalties can be enhanced well beyond that baseline if the incident involves other criminal activity or any kind of brandishing, so a situation that starts as an honest mistake can escalate quickly if it isn’t handled carefully from the start.
If You Want More Related Content
If you’d like to dig deeper into this topic, I’ve covered it on video, breaking down what Florida’s permitless carry law actually allows and where it stops.
Watch: Florida’s Permitless Carry Law Explained.
I’ve also written more about how Florida’s open carry rules interact with these same restricted locations, which walks through this exact issue in more detail.
Read: https://jgcrimlaw.com/articles/florida-open-carry-state/
John’s Takeaways
- Permitless carry doesn’t mean carry everywhere. The law removed the license requirement, not the list of restricted locations.
- Courthouses, police facilities, and airport security checkpoints are always off-limits, no matter how routine your reason for being there is.
- Schools, colleges, athletic events, and bars carry their own specific restrictions, and several of them surprise even experienced gun owners.
- Private property owners can ask you to leave at any time, and refusing can escalate into an armed trespassing felony rather than a simple misdemeanor.
- A single mistake about location can turn into a criminal charge, but most of these cases involve good people who didn’t know the rule existed, not criminals looking to cause harm.
Carrying in Florida? Know Where the Lines Are.
I’ve represented gun owners across Central Florida who never meant to break the law and found themselves facing charges anyway, simply because nobody explained where the real restrictions sit. I represent clients across Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Brevard, and Volusia County.
If you’re facing a weapons charge after carrying in a location you didn’t realize was restricted, give my office a call. Let’s talk about what happened and figure out where you stand.
John Guidry — (407) 423-1117
About John Guidry II
John Guidry II is a seasoned criminal defense attorney and founder of the Law Firm of John P. Guidry II, P.A., located in downtown Orlando next to the Orange County Courthouse, where he has practiced for over 30 years. With more than three decades of experience defending clients throughout Central Florida since 1993, Guidry has successfully defended thousands of cases in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Lake, and Volusia counties. He has built a reputation for his strategic approach to criminal defense, focusing on pretrial motions and case dismissals rather than jury trials.
John Guidry earned both his Juris Doctorate and Master of Business Administration from St. Louis University in 1993. He is a member of the Florida Bar and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. His practice encompasses the full spectrum of Florida state criminal charges, with a particular emphasis on achieving favorable outcomes through thorough pretrial preparation and motion practice.
Beyond the courtroom, Guidry is a prolific legal educator who has authored over 400 articles on criminal defense topics. He shares his legal expertise through his popular YouTube channel, Instagram, and TikTok accounts, where he has built a substantial following of people eager to learn about the law. His educational content breaks down complex legal concepts into accessible information for the general public.
When not practicing law, Guidry enjoys tennis and pickleball, and loves to travel. Drawing from his background as a former recording studio owner and music video producer in the Orlando area, he brings a creative perspective to his legal practice and continues to apply his passion for video production to his educational content.