3 OctOber 16-22, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ GUNSHINE STATE SHOOTOUT ON AISLE 6? GRAB YOUR GLOCK, HONEY. WE’RE GOING GROCERY SHOPPING. BY ALEX DELUCA H eading to the grocery store? Don’t forget your shopping list, wallet, reusable bags...oh, and maybe your AR-15. On September 25, Florida be- gan allowing open carry after an appeals court overturned the state’s ban on openly carrying firearms, deeming it unconstitutional. While businesses and other private property owners still have the option to ban open carry under the law, the Florida-based Publix appears to be just fine with customers packing heat in its produce aisles. So do not fear; while you per- form the daunting tasks of selecting the per- fectly ripe avocado or pint of strawberries that will live to see another day, your trusty firearm will be there for moral support. As first reported by the Sun Sentinel, em- ployees at Publix stores across South Florida — including locations in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Davie, Miramar, Boca Raton, and Delray Beach — confirmed they’re allowing customers to strut through their aisles with firearms on full display following the recent ruling. New Times called a handful of Publix loca- tions across Miami-Dade and confirmed that stores in Brickell, Coral Gables, Sunny Isles Beach, Kendall, and Doral will also allow cus- tomers to open carry. Though some store managers were un- aware the law had taken effect or said they hadn’t received official guidance, others told New Times that all Florida-based Publix stores would now permit open carry under the new legislation. Maria Brous, a spokesperson for the Lakeland-based Publix, did not respond to two phone calls and two emails from New Times regarding the new open carry law. The September appeals court ruling has left many people across Florida perplexed about the state’s open carry laws. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd even called the state’s gun laws “a little wonky.” That confusion was obvious dur- ing conversations with Publix employees and managers.While Publix plans to allow open carry inside its Florida stores, other grocers are opting for a different approach. A spokesper- son for Winn-Dixie told New Times the com- pany will continue to prohibit firearms in its stores.“Our priority is creating a safe and wel- coming shopping experience for all customers and associates,” a spokesperson said. “As a pri- vate business, our policy remains unchanged: we do not permit open carry of firearms inside our stores. We respectfully ask customers to secure firearms safely before entering, and we appreciate the continued cooperation that helps us maintain an environment where ev- eryone feels comfortable.” A Milam’s Market spokesperson didn’t mince words in her response to New Times: “We do not allow weapons in our stores,” she wrote in an email.New Times also reached out to representatives for Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, and ALDI, but had not re- ceived responses as of press time. Florida has banned open carry since 1987, although laws surrounding concealed carry, permit carry, and constitutional carry have evolved in the years since. Now that the open carry ban has been struck down as unconstitu- tional, lawmakers are left with conflicting laws and legal gray areas they’ll need to sort out. Florida law prohibits licensed and con- cealed carry of firearms in a wide range of sensitive locations, including police stations, courthouses, polling places, government meetings, athletic events, schools, and bars. Both the appeals court judge and state Attor- ney General James Uthmeier have clarified that these state and federal location-based re- strictions still apply, even after the open carry ban was overturned. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Publix will now allow open carry at its Florida stores. Miami New Times photo-illustration Publix exterior by Mike Kalasnik/Flickr gunslingers photo by APchanel/Adobe Stock (background removed with Adobe AI) ▼ SUNSHINE STATE DON’T TAKE YOUR GUNS TO… THESE GROCERY STORES AREN’T ALLOWING OPEN CARRY. BY ALEX DELUCA O n September 25, Florida began allow- ing open carry for the first time since 1987, following an appeals court’s over- turning of the state’s ban on openly carrying fire- arms. In other words, people can now legally tote their guns around in most public places across the state (except locations like federal buildings, schools, and polling places, where licensed and concealed carry of firearms is prohibited). Private businesses and property owners still have the option to prohibit open carry. However, while the Lakeland-based grocery giant Publix made headlines this week for al- lowing customers to open carry inside its Flor- ida stores, sparking some scattered online calls for boycotts. New Times called several Publix stores to investigate the matter, speaking with some managers who seemed confused about official guidance, while others verified that the stores would allow open carry. But it doesn’t appear that every grocery chain is following suit. New Times reached out to some of the state’s most popular grocery stores to find out which ones are — and aren’t — embracing Florida’s new open carry law. Here’s a running list of stores that say guns still aren’t welcome inside: Note: New Times also left messages with Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Fresh Market, ALDI, Fresco y Más, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and Target. As of press time, they had not yet replied to our requests for comment. Winn-Dixie: “Our priority is creating a safe and welcoming shopping experience for all customers and associates. As a private business, our policy remains unchanged: we do not permit open carry of firearms inside our stores. We respectfully ask customers to secure firearms safely before entering, and we appreciate the continued cooperation that helps us maintain an environment where everyone feels comfortable.” Milam’s Markets: “Thank you for reaching out. We do not allow weapons in our stores.” Sprouts: “Sprouts Farmers Market maintains a strict policy prohibiting individuals from enter- ing our stores with a firearm, and each location has posted signage at store entrances to indicate this policy.” Are we missing a grocery store? Let us know at [email protected]. [email protected] ▼ PLANTATION PUBLIC WORKS, PRIVATE PERKS PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR GOES ROGUE IN BROWARD. BY B. SCOTT MCLENDON B etween masterminding a covert opera- tion to steal catalytic converters from city vehicles and ordering subordi- nates to use government resources to remodel family members’ homes, reports about the tenure of former Plantation Public Works Di- rector Steven Luther Rodgers read like a bad fanfic script of The Sopranos. In the quiet, suburban heart of Broward County, Rodgers rose to director of the Planta- tion Public Works Department in 2019 and served until the city fired him in 2023, follow- ing charges of unlawful compensation, official misconduct, and dealing in stolen property. Public works employees, who typically main- tain city infrastructure like roads and handle bulk pickup, described Rodgers as a domineer- ing boss who abused his power by coercing them to do his personal work, according to ar- rest affidavits from 2023. But the monetary toll of his actions remained unclear until the Broward Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently an- nounced Rodg- ers’ department misspent about $4.5 million in 2022 alone, ac- cording to the inspector general’s report of the investigation. “Questionable expenditures of this magni- tude are disheartening,” Broward County In- spector General Carol Breece wrote in the report. “They are the product of the Public Works Department’s former disregard for a proper review and approval of employee time- cards at both the employee and supervisory levels — an indispensable part of the payroll process. Without this part of a payroll process, there can be no confidence in an organization’s payroll expenditures, which is especially vital when the payroll expenditures are publicly funded.” While the OIG investigation stands sepa- rate from the state’s criminal case against Rodgers and was intended to determine whether current protocols contributed to or curbed potential abuse, inspectors found Rod- gers’ department spent millions on payroll ex- penses lacking adequate documentation, Breece tells New Times. “The problem was pervasive, it was sys- temic,” Breece says. “They needed to overhaul the entire way of approaching leave requests and submitting hours worked. It was evident opportunities for error and mischief were high.” Breece’s investigation focused solely on the final full year of Rodgers’ employment with the city, suggesting that the total loss to question- able expenses could be significantly higher. Plantation City Council has worked “QUESTIONABLE EXPENDITURES OF THIS MAGNITUDE ARE DISHEARTENING.” >> p4
