Florida Carry, Inc. has won a lawsuit against Broward County and County Administrator Bertha Henry in which they sought a permanent injunction to protect the rights of law abiding gun owners from the county’s multiple illegal ordinances that burden nearly all aspects of firearms ownership, use, transfer, and possession.
Florida’s preemption statute was initially adopted in 1987, four years after Washington State adopted a law, revised in 1985, that actually became a model for similar statutes around the country.
Broward County Circuit Judge Carlos A. Rodriguez ruled that a trio of ordinances regulating firearms in the county violated the 1987 statute.
The case dates back to 2014 when Florida Carry initiated the lawsuit, according to the Miami New Times. The gun rights group challenged ordinances related to possession of firearms outside so-called “sterile zones” at airports in the county, the newspaper said.
Florida Carry Executive Director Sean Caranna told the newspaper that someone with a concealed carry license could be in violation of the local ordinance for simply dropping off or picking up someone at the airport.
In a prepared statement, Caranna noted, “Broward County has ignored repeated attempts since 2011 by Florida Carry to gain its compliance with state law and left us with no choice but to file this case. Let this case serve as proof that when local officials refuse to stop breaking the law in order to deny the rights of Floridians, Florida Carry will act to demand that people’s rights be protected.”
Judge Rodriguez awarded Florida Carry a symbolic $1 in damages, but also ordered reimbursement of the organization’s legal fees. The judge granted summary judgment and permanently enjoined Broward County from enforcing its illegal gun control laws.
This is not the first time Florida Carry has prevailed on such an issue. The group also successfully sued the University of North Florida in 2011.